The Woman Out Of Time: The Continued Story
by 100-percent-not-a-Muggle
Summary: As Steve adjusts to his new life in the 21st century, Lowri does her bit to help him but when old friends and foes arise, their growing relationship is put to the test. Can they pull through and defy all odds stacked against them? Follow her on her story through the years. *Third in a series* *Please read The Woman Out Of Time & The Woman Out Of Time: The 21st Century beforehand*
1. chapter 1

**Happy Monday, my lovely readers!**

 **Welcome to my new story based during Captain America: The Winter Soldier!**

 **Apologies for not updating on Tuesday last week as I said I would, I haven't had a lot of free time this week!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

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Lowri's alarm sounded right by her ear and she groaned as she rolled over to hit the snooze button. She rolled too far and she fell to the floor. She lay in the darkness and she racked her brain to figure out where she was.

Her bed wasn't that narrow, she tends to sleep in the middle so she doesn't fall out but this can't be her bed.

Then she remembered. Last night had consisted of a late-night shower because she was restless then while her hair dried naturally, she finished off most of the paperwork that came alongside her new Project that she was leading on the side.

After she grew bored of writing out the forms, she turned on her television and she vaguely remembered watching a few episodes of Game of Thrones before eventually crashing on her couch.

She groggily got up, rubbing at the sore spot in the bottom of her back and made her way slowly into her kitchen. She turned the lights that were under the high cupboards on, giving her some light and she mostly relied on the dim light streaming in through the window just in in front of her.

She checked the time and almost groaned again when she saw that it was five in the morning. Lowri set about making a smoothie to start the day with a bit of protein and Lucozade powder for energy.

Lowri yawned loudly and ran her hand through her knotted hair and her eyes watered. Her watch vibrated on her wrist and she looked at it.

A notification came up on the screen, letting her know that this was the final warning before Steve arrived for their daily morning run.

Lowri closed her eyes and groaned. She forgot that too.

There was a knock on her door that sounded far too energetic for this time in the morning and she had a feeling that it was Steve, early as usual.

Lowri turned the blender off and padded out into the dark living room. She switched the lamp on at the side of the couch and stopped at the door, she peered through the peephole and she was right. Steve was early for their run, as usual.

He wore trainers, blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt that clung to him, making Lowri unable to tear her eyes away from him.

She stepped back from the peephole and opened the door, silently cursing him for looking so preppy and eager to get running while she felt, and probably looked, like utter crap. Lowri leant against the door with a tired look in her eyes and looked up at him.

"Someone looks a bit tired this morning." Steve noted with a smile, even his bright blue eyes shone brightly as he teased her.

In the two years that had followed since Steve was found in the ice, they had formed the friendship they never had and yes, there was the flirting that made Lowri's heart soar and swell, but she guessed that a relationship was off the cards for a little while.

Steve joined S. H. I. E. L. D. a week or so after the Battle of New York and he's always eager to help out as much as he could, but he stayed in DC, the same as Lowri.

Two years may seem like a long time, but in reality, it's not.

"This someone was restless last night." Lowri said, she stepped to the side to let Steve in and then she closed the door after him. "I spent most of my night sitting at my desk. And then I binge watched Game of Thrones." Lowri headed back into the kitchen, "Worst and best decision of the year."

"That wasn't very smart of you." Steve noted as Lowri passed him. He took in her crumpled pyjamas, a light grey vest top and a darker shade of grey bottoms, herhair was loose down her back and she definitely looked tired. "For such a smart woman, you-"

"Did you know that you should never mess with a tired girl? Especially one that can create fire. I mean, when I'm tired I barely know what I'm doing." Lowri said, she turned to look at him and then she winked.

Steve let out a laugh and took a seat on the comfy chair at the window. "I'm just speaking the truth, Ri." Steve said in a light tone.

Lowri continued the blending and she couldn't hear anything else. Eventually the smoothie was done and she poured the smoothie into a cup and switched the blender off.

Steve had finally got used to calling her Lowri after about three months, though hearing the name Elizabeth was somewhat comforting, but she knew Steve had to learn to call her Lowri instead.

Lowri came back into the living room and sat down on the couch, she folded her legs beneath her and leant back against the couch.

"You didn't make it to bed last night, did you?" Steve asked, he nodded at the couch pillows gathered at one end of the couch and the fluffy blanket in a crumpled mess in the middle of the couch.

Lowri took a deep drink and looked down at the couch. She nodded her head and smiled.

"Never made it past the couch." Lowri answered. "You'd be surprised how comfortable a couch can be."

Steve shook his head at her with a smile on his face.

"That's the fourth night in a row." Steve said, he looked at her, "Do I need to confiscate your remote? I can't have you falling asleep on me on our run."

"That's why this is packed with healthy stuff, and energy." Lowri said, gesturing to her smoothie. "Besides, could you even work that remote?" She asked with mischief in her eyes.

"Really?" Steve laughed, "That's the only response you have?"

"At this time of morning, yes." Lowri replied, "Ask me in an hour or so and I may have a better answer." She added.

"Well, in an hour, hopefully we'll be running." Steve said happily then he paused, "But I don't think that's gonna happen if you're still stuck in snail mode. If we're moving at this pace, we might just be out the door."

Lowri threw a pillow at him and he caught it with a grin.

"Alright, alright. I'll switch off the snail mode." Lowri said grumpily, she placed her drink on the table in front of her and got to her feet, "Help yourself to any food or drink you want, you know where everything is." Lowri added as she walked away.

She stretched her arms high above her head, yawning loudly and her vest rose up as she stretched, revealing the pale skin underneath and the curve of her waist.

Inside her bedroom, she stripped off her sleepwear and stashed them under her pillow, then she dressed in a pair of three quarter sweatpants with the cuffs ending at her calves, a sports bra and a tank top that was more like a sports bra.

She was tempted to take a jacket but she would be sweating too much so she grabbed a pair of bright yellow trainer socks and her running trainers and left her room.

Steve had helped himself to toast while she was getting dressed and he was happily munching on a slice as he glanced around the living room from where he sat.

The flat was much like the New York flat that she had, it was light which made it look more spacious than what it really was but this one was bigger.

The desk was close by where he sat, he knew that when Lowri was doing paperwork, she liked to sit by the window and look outside. There was a pile of unorganised paperwork on the desk and on top of that, was a small black box, it looked out of place in the light décor.

Steve got up with the plate of toast in his hands and stepped closer, he put the plate down and picked up the box, which was heavier than it looked. Lowri entered the room and she saw him at her desk with the box and she tossed her trainers to the floor by the couch, they landed with a loud thump and Lowri watched as Steve jumped violently.

He turned quickly and faced her, clutching tighter on the box. Steve spied her standing beside the couch, dressed in her running gear. He looked at what she was wearing, his eyes had caught onto the tank top and was surprised.

Lowri is normally conscious of her scars on her stomach, gotten a few years ago from the Battle of New York but this top flaunts them. He could see the pale scars stand out on her skin, running from her hipbone, across her stomach and up to her chest but recently she's become more open about them. He could even see the scar from 1945 on her shoulder.

"You get scared so easily. You would think that the original Super Soldier could deal with loud noises." Lowri noted as she stepped around the couch, took a seat and took another drink of her smoothie. "Besides, that's what you get for being nosey." She added, nodding at the black box in his hand.

Steve smirked at her, "What's in the box?" He asked, holding the box up higher, Lowri pulled one of her trainers on.

"My war medals." Lowri said, she glanced up before pulling her other trainer on and she began to tie the laces up. "Well, from the second war."

"Are these your only medals?" Steve asked, he looked down at the black box in his hand.

"No." Lowri said, she moved to the other shoe. "I disappeared after the Great War, any medals from then are probably on display at a museum in London. But I've got medals from America." Lowri replied.

Steve looked up at her, slightly surprised to hear that she was around during the First World War but he kept his lips shut.

"Open it up and have a look, they're just bits of metal with flashy ribbons, nothing special really." Lowri said, she tied the last lace, sat back and reached for her smoothie again and she watched Steve.

Steve opened the box and his eyes widened at the row of medals and ribbons.

"Seems you were busy." Steve said slowly.

Lowri got to her feet and put the empty cup down on the table and walked over to him.

"They're the ones that King George VI awarded me. Apparently, Chester went behind my back and sent over the recommendations just after the war ended. They were presented to me the same time as my American ones." Lowri said as she approached him. She came to a stop beside him and looked at the medals.

"So, you have American war medals and British war medals?" Steve asked, he looked down at her, almost a foot under his height," And you think there's nothing special about them?"

"Well, yeah. Think of all the effort some people have put into the war effort, and then all they get is bits of medals with flashy ribbons." Lowri said. "I keep them because Chester is the one that got them for me."

"What are they for?" Steve asked quietly.

Lowri could tell that he didn't share her opinion for war medals, he probably liked the idea of them.

"This one," Lowri began, she pointed at the first medal on the red velvet cushion which was a yellow copper zinc alloy in the shape of a six-pointed star with GRI VI pressed into the centre with a crown above the R with a red, white and green striped ribbon. "Is the Italy Star, it's for operational service and campaigns in Italy from 1943 to 1945. Chester thought that my little adventure with you and Howard, flying over Austria, was good enough."

"This one," Lowri gestured to a similar medal to the Italy star but the ribbon was black, yellow and blue with the words Air Crew Europe Star engraved around the Royal initials. "Got this for my flying before I joined the SSR. I flew a few risky flights during the Battle of Britain, I was shot down, and my plane was badly damaged and I had to navigate the terrain in Cornwall and I got a lift with some factory workers to another airfield. It's the Air Crew Europe Star."

"The one next is the 1939-1945 Star, which everyone pretty much had for serving in the war." Lowri said, "Both of these were from my old station commander."

"Seems like you were very busy before you joined the SSR." Steve noted with a smile. He glanced at her again and was surprised to see her standing so close, she was centimetres from touching him but she didn't realise. Lowri leant forward to point at the new line of medals and her hair brushed his arm gently and a shiver went up his spine, he hoped that she didn't notice.

"Yes. The war was busy." Lowri said, she pointed to a medal painted silver in the shape of a cross with a wreath of laurel in the middle and an Imperial Crown, there were wings going across two of the legs and the ribbon was alternating white and purple. "This is the Distinguished Flying Cross, this one is from Italy too."

"That's the War Medal 1939-1945, it was awarded to anyone who served in the armed forces for at least twenty-eight days." Lowri said, pointing to a small round medal with a lion on the front with 1939-1945 printed at the top with a red, blue and white ribbon.

"This is the Military Cross," Lowri said, pointed to the one with a silver cross with an Imperial Crown set on each leg, with a purple and white ribbon. "And this is the Distinguished Service Order." The one next to the Military Cross was a small cross with a gold background, surrounded by a wreath laurel and in the middle, was an Imperial Crown in a gold and red enamelled background with a red ribbon with blue edges.

"And this one," Lowri began, she pointed to the last one and then she dropped her hand and clasped them behind her back. "This is the Victoria Cross, the highest award anyone can get." The iron cross had a lion standing in top of an Imperial Crown with the words 'for valour' written underneath with a V connection the medal to a simple purple ribbon.

"It's one of the most recognisable and distinguished medals out there. And, I had these medals for the work I did after you put the plane down." Lowri said, she looked down and away from the medals quickly.

"What did you do?" Steve asked, he closed the box and looked down at her.

"I fought with the Howling Commandos overseas. And let's just say that those few months were eventful." She pursed her lips and she looked up at Steve and then smiled.

"Eventful? Did they give you hell over there?" Steve asked.

"Who? Hydra or the Howling Commandos?" Lowri asked with a smile, Steve laughed and for a long moment, their eyes connected and she felt blown away.

"The Howling Commandos." Steve answered quickly.

"Oh, you can bet they gave me hell. It was hard work but definitely rewarding." Lowri replied. She reached for the closed box and took it from Steve.

Lowri leant across the desk, and him, to place the box back on top of her paperwork, like a paperweight. Her hair fell from her back, over her shoulder and brushed over Steve's arm again.

He wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through her hair, grab her shoulders, tilt her back and press his lips to hers but he knew that was moving far too quick for them both.

Lowri sensed something was holding him back and she looked up at him, she leant back against the table in the small space between Steve and the table.

"I thought you wanted to go on that run?" Lowri asked.

Steve dropped his eyes from her quickly and a blush grew on him cheeks.

"Uh, yes. We'd better get moving." Steve said quickly. He looked slightly uncomfortable and his eyes gave off something Lowri couldn't put her thumb on.

She stepped away from him, reached for her cup and moved to the kitchen, she skilled her cup out, left it to dry on the draining board and turned back to face Steve, now at the door.

As she walked for the door, she twisted her hair up out of her face a strapped her phone into the band on her arm. She locked the door behind her and they quickly jogged down the steps and left her building.

From her apartment building, they headed for the mall straight away. Steve is capable of running up to 50mph and well, Lowri wasn't able to run that fast.

"I still don't get why you want to go for a run _this_ early." She commented as they started jogging. People were already emerging from their homes to make the commute to work.

The skies were still dark and there was a brisk chill, making Lowri shiver and regret not bringing a jacket.

Steve kept to Lowri said jogging pace as a warm up, they jogged round and round the National Mall at Lowri's jogging pace, which Steve seemed to be content with.

For twenty minutes, they jogged around the National Mall and then it was clear to Lowri that Steve was getting restless at staying at this pace.

"How do you keep at this pace? You haven't switched off that snail mode, have you?" Steve teased as they stayed in step and started off another lap. Lowri huffed at him, but she kept her eyes on the path in front of her.

"Yes, alright, _Super Soldier._ Not all of us are at our physical peak." Lowri breathed heavily. She spied a few new runners along their path, some heading in the same way and others heading towards them

"Are you struggling?" Steve asked almost cockily, Lowri shoved at him but her hand collided with pure muscle and he didn't even move, instead, she pushed herself away without meaning to.

Steve laughed at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Go on, you go push yourself, Super Solider. I'll keep at my pace and you can run at yours." Lowri said, she slowed down slightly as she began to feel a burning in her lungs.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, he looked down and slowed down with her.

"I'm sure. You go, be an awesome runner and all that." Lowri said, she kept at this slower pace so she could get her breath back. Steve smiled at her and then began jogging at a much quicker pace.

He passed by another runner and said out loud, "On your left." As he ran by.

Lowri kept up her jogging pace, determined to jog through the pain. Steve lapped her a great many times before she caught up with the man that Steve always says 'On your left' to.

Before Lowri could introduce herself to the guy, Steve ran past once more.

"On your left." Steve said before shooting off once more.

"Uh huh. On my left. Got it." The man muttered before cursing Steve under his breath.

Lowri let out a laugh and the man turned his head to look at her.

"Don't worry about him." Lowri said as they jogged together in time. "He tends to get cocky when he hasn't had a good run in a while."

"Oh, yeah?" The man asked, "Is there any way to get him out of it?" The man asked. Lowri shook her head and smiled.

"I haven't found a way yet." Lowri replied, "He's been like this since 1942, I don't think he's gonna change any time soon."

"Damn." The man laughed.

Lowri twisted her body to face him, still running though, and offered him her hand to shake.

"I'm Lowri Jones." She said gently. The man took her hand, returned her smile and shook her hand deftly.

"Sam Wilson." The man replied, he had a happy smile and he looked at her more closely before he dropped her hand. "You're that girl on fire, aren't you? The one that was in New York?"

Lowri looked ahead and smiled, "Yeah. They really couldn't think of a more inventive name for me." Lowri said with a laugh. "I'd like to call myself something like 'Girl from Another Era' but the name is far too long and no one is old enough to get the joke."

Steve ran past them once more, "On your left."

"Except, maybe him." Lowri added with a laugh.

"How about Scorch?" Sam asked, "It's better than Girl on Fire." Lowri nodded her head and thought about it.

"Thanks, Sam. That's a good one, I'll try that one out." Lowri said, she decided in her mind to do five laps of the Mall at her fastest pace and said goodbye to Sam to complete them.

She pushed herself hard and at the end of the fifth lap, she collapsed onto the grass and rolled onto her back, breathing hard and waited for Steve to finish off his run.

Her ears were pounding and her heart felt as though it was going to explode from her chest. She desperately needed a drink but she waited until her breathing was under control and it didn't burn when she breathed in before she got up.

Lowri's legs felt like jelly as she walked over to the water fountain, she bent over to take a sip and over the dull pounding in her ears, she heard a sharp whistle pierce the air.

She looked up and glanced behind her and saw a group of about seven men in their early twenties sat together, all dressed in brand new training gear and she suspected that they only came to the mall for one reason, and that's not to exercise.

"You're looking fine, girl!" One of them called out to her. Her suspicions were proved.

"Wanna shake that booty over here?" Another man called out.

Lowri raised one of her eyebrows and pressed her lips together, she turned to the men and clasped her hands in front of her.

"You know, I would, but I honestly think you're a little _young_ for me." Lowri replied before turning her back on them. They called out to her again, saying how she looks the right age and still looks damn fine and that they don't care about her age but Lowri walked away from the fountain and spied Steve standing just a few feet away from the fountain, looking breathless and sweaty and a little bit intimidating.

"Are they bothering you?" Steve asked, he nodded his head towards the jeering men and one by one they fell silent at the sight of the tall man with muscles everywhere, standing with his hands on his hips and looking right at them.

"It's nothing I can't handle, Steve." Lowri replied, she headed for Steve and he turned to walk with her. "Besides, I've had plenty of men try to make a move on me and I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's been successful."

She walked ahead and turned back when she noticed that Steve had stopped and was staring at her with an open mouth.

"Well, it's true." Lowri said, she turned back again and began walking again. She spied Sam leaning up against a tree, holding his chest and she headed for him. Steve caught her up and they stopped just beside Sam at the same time.

"Need a medic?" Steve asked as he came to a stop.

Sam laughed, but he still held a hand to his chest and breathed heavily.

"I need a new set of lungs." Sam breathed out, he looked up at Steve, "Dude, you ran, like, thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

Steve smiled, "Thanks to this one, we had a late start." Steve replied, gesturing to Lowri, she turned to him with a pretend look of shock but she laughed.

"Really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap." Sam said, he looked away, breathed out hard and then looked back at Steve and Lowri. "Did you just take it? I assume you just took it?"

Steve chuckled happily. "Guess that's on me then." Lowri said, she earned herself a laugh from both men. Steve looked down and noticed the logo on Sam's sweatshirt and he gestured towards it.

"What unit are you with?" Steve asked.

"58th Para Rescue. But, now I'm working down the VA." Sam answered. Lowri nodded her head, so, Sam's a vet. Does he miss the military life? Steve offered Sam a hand up, "Sam Wilson."

"Steve Rogers." Steve said as Sam righted himself.

"I kinda put that together." Sam answered. For a moment, Steve looked confused. "Scorch and I met on the run after you kept lapping us." Sam explained.

"I made a joke about being old and that only you and I would understand it." Lowri added. Steve looked down at the floor and chuckled.

"Must have freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing." Sam said, he looked a little nervous as he spoke but he held his ground and looked up at Steve, Lowri turned to see Steve's reaction.

Steve seemed to freeze but then he relaxed before sighing. "It took some getting used to." Steve said slowly, he looked at Lowri and they locked eyes for a moment. Obviously, his mind had gone back to the months that had followed his defrosting. "It's good to meet you, Sam." Steve said, he nodded in Sam's direction and tuned to go, prompting Lowri to go with him.

"It's your bed, right?" Sam asked quickly, his words made Steve stop short and he turned quickly. Lowri stopped and turned too.

"What's that?" Steve asked, he tilted his head at Sam as he took a step closer to Steve and Lowri.

"Your bed, it's too soft." Sam said, "When I was there, I'd sleep on the ground, use rocks as pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like…" Sam trailed off.

"Lying on a marshmallow." Steve finished. Lowri knew exactly how they felt. For Steve, it was much worse, he missed seventy years of the beds getting softer and softer, but Lowri had been there for all of it and she didn't forget the feeling of transitioning from being overseas to living alone with a proper bed.

"Feels like I'm gonna sink right to the floor." Steve continued, he paused and looked down at the floor for a second and then he looked up again. "How long?"

"Two tours." Sam answered. Tours meant something different during the 1940's, nowadays it means you serve for a certain amount of time before being brought back home but during the war, you were out there until the war was done or you were dead. "You must miss the good old days, huh?" Sam asked.

"Well," Steve began, he placed his hands on his hips and looked around, he looked at Lowri and smiled. "Things aren't so bad, food's a lot better. We used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot, trying to catch up." Steve answered.

Sam crossed his arms and leant back slightly with a smile on his face. "Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man Soundtrack. Everything you missed jammed into one album." Sam said.

Steve grinned back at Sam, "I'll put it on the list." He said before pulling out his little notebook that Lowri had given him a few weeks after the Battle of New York. He jotted down what Sam had just told him.

Lowri's phone in the band on her arm beeped and vibrated against her arm and she pulled the phone out to check it as Steve looked up from his notebook and looked her way.

 _MISSION ALERT.  
EXTRACTION IMMINENT  
MEET AT THE CURB.  
BRING SOLDIER BOY. ;)_

Lowri swiped the message away and looked up. "We've got a new job. Now." Lowri said with a smile, she stepped backwards, heading for the curb and looked at Steve and Sam.

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 **Again, I have to apologise for the late update, I feel really bad!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **I hope you've all had a great week, mine has been very busy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

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"All right. Sam, duty calls." Steve said, he offered his hand to Sam. "Thanks for the run." He said as they shook hands. "If that's what you want to call running." Steve said jokingly.

"Oh, that's how it is?" Sam asked jokingly, he pretended to be offended, Sam dropped Steve's hand and smiled at him.

"Oh, that's how it is." Steve said firmly, he had an equal smile on his face and he stepped away from Sam and turned to Lowri.

"Okay." Sam said as Steve walked away from him. "Any time you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know." Sam called, Steve laughed and turned back to look at Sam.

"I'll keep that in mind." Steve called back, Lowri smiled to herself and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Just don't start running in front of her and you'll be fine." Lowri called, her grin widened as Sam looked from Steve to her with astonishment on his face.

A car with a very loud engine came to a stop beside Lowri and the window rolled down, inside was Nat.

"Hey guys, do any of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a few fossils." Nat quipped.

"Oh, haha." Lowri said, she raised an eyebrow and tugged the handle of the car.

"In the back." Nat grinned cockily. "I don't think Rogers is gonna fit in the back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Shove the tiny person into the back." Lowri replied as she pressed the switch on the seat and it folded forward. Lowri climbed into the back as Steve approached.

"That's hilarious." Steve noted as Lowri pulled the front seat back, encasing herself in the all black interior of the low car. Steve got in and closed the door, through the open window, Lowri say Sam crouch down on his feet and balanced his arms on his knees. He looked directly at Nat.

"How you doing?" Sam asked slowly. A quick look at Nat told Lowri that Nat was biting onto the flirting bait.

"Hey." Nat said, she raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Can't run everywhere." Steve stated.

"No, you can't." Sam said gently. He smirked at Nat and Nat revved the car, she rolled the windows up and pulled off.

"Nice fossil joke, Nat. Really hits home." Lowri said.

"Not many people can think of hilarious jokes like I do." Nat said happily, she glanced in the rear-view mirror and winked at Lowri.

"All jokes aside, what's this mission?" Steve asked.

"Kill joy." Lowri muttered but Steve heard her and chuckled deeply.

"I don't know what the mission is, we're having the briefing on the quin jet, all I know is that it's you, me, Ri and the S. T. R. I. K. E. team." Nat answered.

Steve turned in his seat and looked back at Lowri with a smile on his face, "Seems we had perfect timing this morning, even with our late start." He said.

"Late start." Lowri scoffed, she leant forward and smiled at him. "We were out of my flat _ten minutes_ later than normal."

Steve turned back to face the road but the smile was still on his face.

"Hey, Ri, you probably shouldn't wear that top in. You know how Fury is like with the dress regs." Nat said, she glanced in the rear-view mirror again and raised her eyebrows at the sports tank that revealed Lowri's scars. "There should be a top on the floor somewhere back there."

Lowri ducked and struggled to dig behind the front seats, there wasn't a lot of room.

"Nick hates it when I 'flaunt' my scars." Lowri said as she pulled up a light grey shirt with a low neckline. "I don't see why they're so bad, I mean, I'm the one that has to live with them and Nick said that he wanted me to reveal myself." Lowri said as she tried to pull the top on as best as she could in the restricted space she had.

"It's because loads of people tend to hid their scars and pasts." Nat said as she successfully merged into another lane, Lowri grunted as she hit the side of the car when Nat took a corner too quick. "Sorry." Nat said as Lowri righted herself, Nat shot Lowri s look in the rear-view mirror. "I'll warn you next time."

"You alright?" Steve asked, he turned his head just in time to see Lowri, still tangled in the t-shirt, hit the other side of the car.

"Corner." Nat offered in an apologetic tone as Lowri righted herself once more and pulled the shirt down firmly.

"A little late for that." Lowri said, she shot a glare at the back of Nat's head. She looked at Steve, "I'll live, I think." She said gently. He smiled warmly and he must have felt reassured because he looked forward once more and Lowri clipped a seatbelt around her, even though they were close to the Triskelion.

As soon as Nat parked up, they headed inside to the locker rooms and suited up. One of the quin jets was waiting and they boarded. S. T. R. I. K. E. was already on board with Rumlow waiting.

And all too soon they were heading towards their target which was in the middle of the Indian Ocean and the skies were dark.

Brock Rumlow, S. T. R. I. K. E.'s current leader, and a well-known loud mouth, stood before the entire group in the dark quin jet and they were all looking at the dropdown monitor, displaying details of a ship.

"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the _Lemurian Star._ They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them ninety-three minutes ago." Rumlow stated as he read from the tablet in his hands.

"Any demands?" Steve asked, he had a stern look on his face and this was the same look that he wore on every mission, it shows him in deep thought.

Lowri was stood to the side of the jet while Steve stood front and centre, much like he always does because he takes the leads on the missions. Lowri stood with her arms crossed over her chest, dressed in her all black, with a few grey patches on her stomach and under arms, field suit, fingerless gloves and tough boots, her hair tied back in a long plait and she too had a stern look on her face.

"Billion and a half." Rumlow answered after consulting his tablet.

"So, it's not off course, it's trespassing." Steve noted.

"I'm sure they had a good reason." Nat added.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve replied, he looked down at Nat as he spoke and she smirked.

Lowri doubted Nick would send this team of highly skilled spies and assassins to take control of a ship and rescue hostages. The situation was probably darker and more serious than what they were being told.

She looked at the team and suspected one of them had been chosen to carry out another task while they were there.

"Relax." Nat replied with her trademark smirk. "It's not complicated." Steve looked down at Nat for a second before looking back up at Rumlow.

"How many pirates?" Steve asked.

"Twenty-five." Rumlow answered, "Top mercs led by this guy." Rumlow glanced up at the screen and an image of a man with short hair and serious eyes, huge shoulders and a thin mouth popped up onto the screen.

Lowri raised an eyebrow at the sight of him, he looked as though a team would take him down.

"He looks like a bunch of laughs." Lowri noted.

"George Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpols Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions. This guy has got a rep for maximum casualties."

"Then it's simple." Lowri said, Rumlow's eyes snapped to her before Steve or Nat, or the rest of the S. T. R. I. K. E. team could. "We get in, target him and keep him away from any hostages that we could have." Lowri continued.

"Hostages?" Steve asked, he looked from Lowri and looked at Rumlow.

Rumlow looked down at his tablet, tapped a few things in and then the monitor showed profiles of each hostage being held.

"Mostly techs. One officer, Jasper Sitwell." Rumlow said, "They're in the galley."

"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve asked, he dismissed his own question and turned to the team. "Alright, here's the plan. Ri and I are gonna sweep the deck, find Batroc and keep him from the hostages. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you find the hostages, get them to the life-pods and get them out. Let's move." Steve ordered.

Lowri pushed herself from the wall and ducked under the monitors quickly, she stepped into the cockpit and the pilot looked up.

"Fancy getting us above the clouds and in some cover?" Lowri asked, the pilot nodded his head and looked back at the instruments in front of him.

Lowri stepped out of the cockpit and reached the table set up for weapons and communications pieces where Nat and Steve already were. Lowri reached for her handguns and slid them into the holsters at her thighs and picked up an ear piece.

"Secure channel seven." Steve said as he walked past Lowri.

"Seven secure." Nat replied, Lowri put in her own ear piece and set up the same channel. "Did you do anything fun on Saturday night?" Nat asked as Lowri turned to face them both.

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so no, not really." Steve said with a grin. He glanced at Lowri and their eyes locked for a few seconds. "And she was holed up in her apartment watching some television show."

Lowri smiled, "Game of Thrones. And that's because you said you wanted to stay in your flat and have the weekend to yourself." Lowri said, she stepped closer to him and looked up, "I never knew you were in a barbershop quartet."

Steve smiled down at her, almost flirtatiously. "Yes, I was." He said gently.

"I bet you were terrible." Lowri said smoothly. Behind her, Nat snorted and Steve gaped at her before chuckling.

"You're getting too big for your boots." Steve said as he reached for his shield and strapped it to his back.

"Weren't I always?" Lowri asked with a grin and playful eyes. Steve contemplated her words, nodded once and then pressed his lips together.

He lifted one of his hands and pointed at her. "That's very true. But, remember, I'm a Captain." Steve said, he raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, challenging her to continue.

"And its rude to point, _Captain._ " Lowri grinned, she stepped past him and hit the open button that dropped the door at the back of the jet, letting the harsh wind zip through the back of the jet. "Come on, old man, get moving." Lowri said, she backed up as Steve slid his mask on.

"You're older than me!" Steve called as Lowri took a running jump and flung herself off the jet and into the dark night.

Steve wasn't far behind her but she fell quicker as she made her body more streamlined by bringing her hands above her head and pressed her ankles together, she dove almost seamlessly into the sea, she swam back up, broke the surface and fought the waves hitting her from every direction.

She heard a loud splash to the side of her and though it was dark, she could see Steve hastily make his way for the anchor that stood out. Lowri followed him and Steve paused when he reached the anchor.

He turned to her as Lowri grabbed hold of the anchor and he placed his hand on top of hers.

"You alright?" He asked quickly, his tone was hushed, just in case his voice was heard.

"It's a bit chilly, ain't it?" Lowri asked, attempting a joke. Steve chuckled.

"Come on, let's get moving. I hope that you're out of that snail mode." Steve said before he pulled on the anchor and began climbing up swiftly. Lowri waited for a few seconds before following him up the anchor, she re-directed the heat to the outer layers of her skin and by the time she reached the top where the anchor draped over the side of the ship, she was dry all over.

Steve jumped over the top of the railing and she heard a grunt as she reached the top, a gloved hand reached over to pull her up and she grasped it. Steve pulled her clear of the railing and set her on her feet just a step away from him.

He dropped her hand and looked down at the fallen guard. "You go that way, I'll go right. Sweep the deck and take out any guards you see before shots can be fired. The quieter we are, the better. I'll meet you at the other end and we'll get Batroc together. I need you for the translations." Steve said, he smiled down at her warmly.

Lowri nodded her head once and made to take off at a run down the left-hand side of the ship but Steve grabbed her arm as she passed and stopped her. He pulled her closer to him and she rested her hand on his chest as she looked up at him.

"Stay safe." He said quietly. Lowri's heart thudded in her chest, and it's not because of how close they were to a fight.

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him warmly, "You too." She breathed. She bit down on her bottom lip and then took off at a run down the left-hand side of the ship.

Just a fair bit down the ship, she came across a single man standing guard at a heavy looking door, she couldn't sneak behind him so she slowed down and walked out in front of him.

"Do you wanna see a trick?" Lowri asked in French. Before the man could reply, Lowri set her hands on fire and she saw his eyes widened. His eyes went from defensive, to interest and then to horror in a matter of seconds.

She dimmed her fire instantly and made a grab at the man and she used brute force to knock the man out before she ran off down the ship.

There were two more men standing side by side in front another door, both with rifles strapped to their chests, ready to use and easy to reach. Lowri dashed out and pushed one man clean over the ship's railing when he stepped forward to meet her, the other fumbled with the strap on the rifle and she swiftly punched him in the face and used her elbow to knock him out.

She took off at a run and for once, she was thankful to Steve for getting her up early to go for runs before they head to the Triskelion. She came to a lighted part of the ship and there were three men talking in fluent French about some girl that one of the men had at home. They were distracted, good.

She pressed herself against the wall and waited for the count of three breaths before stepping out in clear view of all three men and she attacked the closest to her. He fell after she had swiped his legs from under him and knocked him clean you.

Lowri moved too quickly for the other two men to draw their weapons and shoot. She knocked them out as fast as she could but the final man she took down was hard to do so.

He was faster than the two other men, he tried to get his arms around her but she ducked him and elbowed him in the gut then slammed her fist into his nose, blood spurted out from his nose, some sprayed onto her. He grunted as he took a swing at her right in the side, he yelled out as he swung at her again, Lowri was stunned by the hit in her side and she stumbled backwards and she was too slow to react again and his fist connected with her lip, splitting it and making it bleed.

Lowri stumbled backwards again and when he took another hit at her, now that he had a few hits in, he thought he could beat her. She ducked his hit and got her own in, hard enough to knock him backwards and then she shoved at him again and he fell backwards over the railings and fell into the sea.

She breathed out heavily and wiped at her lip before running down the side of the ship once more.

By now, she was nearing the end of the ship and she was close to the meeting point where she was supposed to be meeting Steve but as she reached the bit where it opened up, she slowed down because she heard men.

She edged around the corner and saw Steve fighting about eight men at once, he tossed his shield at the man furthest away from him and it knocked the man clean out, the shield came careening back to him and he used it to hit another man over. Steve spun and booted another off the deck and over the side of the ship, two more men attacked at the same time and he took them out easily.

Steve threw his shield again, it hit another man and it knocked him over, Steve caught the shield and brought it up in front of him and pushed it into another man and the man dropped like a fly.

"Don't move!" The final man shouted in French. This man was stood a few feet behind Steve with his rifle aimed at Steve's back.

In an instant, Lowri jumped from her hiding place and dove towards the man. Steve slowly turned to face the man with his hands open. Lowri shoved Steve out of the way and he went flying onto his stomach but he scrambled to his knees and turned to her.

Lowri ducked and kicked at the man's knees but he jumped back and kept his rifle aimed at her. She spun on one foot and kicked the man's hand away, just as he fired the rifle and the shot bounced off the metal floor and into the air.

The man swung at her with his free hand and she blocked the hit using both of her forearms, but the man swiftly raised the rifle and pressed the barrel to the bottom of her ribcage and shot once.

The shot rang through the air and jolted her body, the air escaped her lungs and she felt her body retreat into shock, a sharp gasp escaped her lips.

"Lowri!" Steve yelled.

The man holding the rifle to her, pressed harder, shifted upwards and shot again. Both bullets had gone straight through, leaving the exit wounds to open and bleed. Her body juddered again and the man pushed her back and away from her, happy that she was no longer a threat. As he pushed her away, he shot again and this time, the bullet stopped inside her ribcage.

"Lowri!" Steve yelled again as Lowri fell away from the gunman. Steve pushed himself to his feet and caught Lowri as she fell, the man turned his weapon on him.

Steve slowly lay Lowri on the floor and rose to his feet once more, ready to fight him. He kept his eyes locked on the man in front of him, hatred began brewing in his stomach when he heard a quiet groan from Lowri. He refrained himself from looking down at her but he jumped violently when he heard another gunshot and he was terrified that she had been the one to be shot.

For long, terrifying, moment, Lowri thought that Steve had been shot but then the man she had fought dropped beside her and began to bleed out beside her.

Lowri rolled away from the man and fumbled to get to her knees. She pressed her hand to the general area where she had been shot and pressed her other hand to the cold metal floor and tried to breathe through the pain.

Steve knelt beside her with his arm around her shoulders, "Are you alright, Ri?" He asked quietly as Rumlow and the others began landing on the deck. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I heal quicker than you." Lowri said quickly and through gritted teeth. She knelt back on her knees and tilted her head back as pain shot from her stomach and up her back. Steve pressed his hand against hers on her stomach and looked up at Rumlow.

"Thanks." Steve breathed as Rumlow stepped closer. Lowri looked forward at him.

"Yeah, you two seemed pretty useless without me." Rumlow answered. "You just had to jump in the way of the Frenchie."

Lowri shrugged her shoulders and grimaced, "It was either me or Steve." She replied. She looked down at herself, Steve's hand helped staunch the blood loss considerably. She knew that if the man had shot Steve as he had planned, then Steve would be out for a few days tops, but with Lowri, she was able to heal quicker and ignore the pain if she hadn't healed.

She pushed his hand away and kept her own hand clasped to the bottom of her ribcage as she pushed herself to her feet.

Steve got up beside her and held out his hands to catch her in case she fell, but she didn't.

S. T. R. I. K. E. moved out with Rumlow in the lead and Nat stepped over to Steve and Lowri.

"Can you walk?" Steve asked, he dropped his hands but he kept his eyes on her. Lowri nodded her head and stepped off.

"I'll heal." Lowri said as Nat and Steve fell into step behind her.

"What about that nurse that lives across the hall from you?" Nat asked, "She seems kinda nice."

Lowri looked back sharply and winced when she twisted her torso. Steve kept his eyes trained ahead of him, ignoring Nat.

"Secure the engine room, then find me a date." Steve ordered. Nat turned from them with a teasing look and reached for the raining.

"I'm multi-tasking!" Nat called as she jumped over the rails and dropped to the deck below.

Steve caught up with Lowri and they reached a set of stairs stretching three levels. Lowri glanced at Steve when he caught up with her.

"Find you a date?" Lowri asked as they walked. Though the two of them had grown closer than ever before but they hadn't really talked about anything that happened before 1945 regarding their relationship, but she still felt strongly attracted to him. So, hearing that he was looking for a date was like a punch in the gut for her.

Given that she had just been shot three times in the stomach, so she was actually hurting. Lowri gripped the handrail and used it to pull her up. Two bullets had gone straight through and these wounds were closing slowly, but there was still one bullet inside her ribcage and this one moved when she moved, giving her a jolting pain each time.

"Nat is very interested in finding me a date and I'm very interested in not looking for a date." Steve said, he moved ahead of Lowri on the stairs and was a few steps up when Lowri paused and let out a quiet groan.

One of her hands was pressed against her stomach, Steve stopped straight away and turned to look at her with concern written on his face. The bullet dropped from her rib cage into her hand and she breathed out with relief as held her hand out with the bullet sitting in the palm of her hand.

Steve looked at her face and then looked down at her hand and saw the bullet sitting there. He heaved out a sigh of relief and nodded at her once as a knowing smile grew on his lips as she tossed the bullet away from her.

"Let's go." Lowri said, smiling at him. Her torso was almost healed up on the outside and this made it easier to move but on the inside, the muscles were raw and they would take a little longer to heal up.

* * *

 **As this this part of the story is too much to have in one chapter, I've decided to cut it down and publish two chapters instead. So, expect another chapter update!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the second chapter of the day, hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she sues) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Nat is very interested in finding me a date and I'm very interested in not looking for a date." Steve said, he moved ahead of Lowri on the stairs and was a few steps up when Lowri paused and let out a quiet groan._

 _One of her hands was pressed against her stomach, Steve stopped straight away and turned to look at her with concern written on his face. The bullet dropped from her rib cage into her hand and she breathed out with relief as held her hand out with the bullet sitting in the palm of her hand._

 _Steve looked at her face and then looked down at her hand and saw the bullet sitting there. He heaved out a sigh of relief and nodded at her once as a knowing smile grew on his lips as she tossed the bullet away from her._

 _"Let's go." Lowri said, smiling at him. Her torso was almost healed up on the outside and this made it easier to move but on the inside, the muscles were raw and they would take a little longer to heal up._

* * *

Together, they jogged up the rest of the stairs and they slowly crept forward and crouched behind a half wall. Steve and Lowri pressed the buttons on their wrist, which activates a device which can pick up long-distance conversations.

Steve leant with his back pressed against the half wall with his eyes on Lowri as she edged closer and listened intently.

"I don't like waiting." Lowri said, translating the first part of Batroc's conversation. "Call Durand. I want this ship ready to move when the ransom comes in."

She looked at Steve, "The engines." Steve said slowly.

"Nat can hold her own." Lowri said quickly. One of Batroc's men agreed and called up someone to start the engines. "Nat better move soon." Lowri said.

"Why?" Steve asked.

"They're starting the engines." Lowri replied. Batroc's man spoke again, "Radio silence from S. H. I. E. L. D., Batroc." She translated.

If Nat wasn't able to get control of the engine room, then their mission would be a lot harder than it is currently. Now that Batroc has been alerted to the radio silence, he was already thinking.

" _Targets acquired._ " Rumlow's team was in position and ready.

" _S. T. R. I. K. E. in position._ " Rumlow stated over the comms.

Steve and Lowri shared a look before Steve looked around the corner carefully, where Batroc was in the control room.

"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve asked quietly. There was radio silence from Nat's end. Lowri felt a little nervous. "Natasha." Steve said urgently. They shared another look.

" _Hang on_!" Nat yelled, there was a pause over the comms but then Nat was back, " _Engine room secure._ "

"On my mark." Steve began, he tensed as he crouched in front of Lowri, readying himself. "Three… two… one."

The French men inside the control room began speaking together about the phone line going dead but then Steve jumped out and ran toward the control room. He threw his shield at the window and it smashed through.

Lowri was a few paces behind Steve, she set her hands on fire and lifted herself into the air and through the window as Steve was kicked down by Batroc.

She ran past Steve and out through the door after him but he was gone from sight by the time she passed through the door.

" _Hostages en-route to extraction. Romanoff missed rendezvous point, Cap._ " Rumlow said as Steve caught up with Lowri and they walked down the small set of stairs quickly. " _Hostiles are still in play_."

The stairs led to a large open space near the middle of the ship and Steve and Lowri quickly made their way across.

" _Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha._ " Steve said urgently.

Lowri looked up at Steve and felt the hairs on the back of her hair rise uncomfortably, in the next instant, Steve was pushed into Lowri and they both fell to the floor with Batroc standing above them.

Steve shoved her away from him and shot to his face, ready to face off Batroc. Lowri was on her feet a second later, her torso hurt like hell but she was ready to ignore the pain.

"Go! Ri, get out of here! You're still hurt, get to Rumlow! Protect the hostages!" Steve ordered.

Lowri jumped back when Batroc aimed at them and Steve blocked the kick with his shield.

"Go!" He ordered. Lowri turned from him and darted off down the open space but she didn't get a far, a large group of mercs were passing in front of her and she darted into the shadows to hide from them.

She let them pass and she stepped out when there was a fair distance between her and the mercs and before she stepped off in the direction of the hostages, she heard a loud explosion.

"Rumlow, what's your status?" Lowri asked over comms.

" _At the life-pods. Loading them up now._ " Rumlow said.

"Alright, be careful there's the mercs roaming around." Lowri said, she stepped back to where she had left Steve, starting at a walk but then she started running. She couldn't see Steve or Batroc on the stretch of flat but as she slowed and neared where she had left them, she saw Batroc backing out of a door, looking a little dazed.

Lowri came to a stop a few feet away from him and planted her feet firmly. As Batroc backed away, he turned and began to make a run for it but then he saw her and stopped.

She saw Steve's helmet lying on the floor just to the right of her, where was he? Is he hurt? Lowri looked back up when Batroc let out a laugh, she locked her eyes on him and guessed that he was laughing at her.

She's not a terrifying sight or intimidating, nor does she have a lot of muscle to make her look bigger.

But, he stopped laughing when the flames shot out of her hands and a fireball began swelling in her left hand. His eyes widened, almost bulging and he re-evaluated the situation with a gaping mouth.

"That's an illusion. It's not real." Batroc said in rapid French.

"Does this feel real?" Lowri asked, she tossed the fireball and Batroc was too slow, the fireball skimmed his neck and he yelled out angrily.

She threw the first move but her victory wasn't going to last long. Batroc certainly lived up to the muscle he owns and within seconds, they had a short scuffle which ended up in Lowri's already sore stomach dotted with painful bruises beginning to bloom and a cut lip.

" _Lowri? Where ar-_ " The communicator on her wrist relayed the message from Steve but was cut off when Batroc grabbed her wrist and snapped her wrist downwards, breaking her wrist bone in half and destroying the communicator in the process.

Lowri cried out painfully and Batroc shoved her against the side of the ship hard before he shot off and escaped.

Steve ran out of the doorway that spewed hazy smoke in the next second and his eyes scanned the deck before looking down and he saw Lowri clutching her wrist to her chest.

"Lowri." Steve said quickly. He dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Batroc's gone. He ran off just before you made an appearance." Lowri said slowly, she looked up at him. "He'll be more recognizable now. Harder to hide."

"What happened?" He asked as Nat came through the doorway with a sheepish look on her face. "Did Batroc do this to you? Why didn't you call for help? Why didn't you answer me? I could have help."

Lowri looked down at her wrist, "Is your ear piece damaged?" Lowri asked.

"Yeah." Steve said.

"Your message came through on the communicator on my wrist. Batroc heard it and broke my communicator, and my wrist at the same time." Lowri said, she pressed her injured hand to her chest and used the free hand to pull herself up. Steve stood at the same time.

"I told you to go help Rumlow." Steve said.

"Rumlow had the hostages at the life pods, he was alright. I heard an explosion so I came back." Lowri said. She glanced at Nat, why was she here? Nat looked away from her sheepishly. "Anyway," Lowri said, she looked back at Steve. "Let's go."

She stepped off first, clutching her wrist to her chest and she left Steve and Nat behind her. Rumlow and the rest of the S. T. R. I. K. E. team had hustled most of the hostages onto the life-pods and now there was only a few hostages left.

Lowri hung back as Steve strode forwards and approached Rumlow, they spoke for a count of five seconds before Steve turned back to her and spoke into the communicator on his wrist.

"Did you see any space that looked big enough for the jet to land?" Steve asked as he walked back to her. She gestured to the back of the ship with her good hand.

"Tell him it's a tight space but if he pitches down to the right, he can get in." Lowri said.

Steve relayed the information back to the pilot as the rest of the hostages were boarded onto the life pods and sent on their way, a member of S. T. R. I. K. E. went into each life pod to guard.

The remaining members of S. T. R. I. K. E. boarded the jet with Steve, Lowri and Nat and the jet took off quickly.

Steve immediately headed to talk with Rumlow while Nat hung back. Lowri sat down near the end of the jet with relief and sighed when she leant back against the wall.

"Do you need that bone set?" Nat asked, nodding to Lowri's arm.

Lowri nodded quickly. "As long as you're quick about it, then yes please. I hate having bones set." Lowri said.

Nat pulled out the first aid kit and then took a seat beside Lowri and opened the first aid kit between them.

"Do you know where your arm is broken?" Nat asked.

"My wrist. Right here." Lowri said, pointing with her free hand. "It's a clean break, thankfully. Should take a day and a half to heal properly if set correctly, so please, set it right."

Nat smiled, "No worries, Ri. Just grit your teeth and it'll be over in a flash." Nat promised. She held her hands out for Lowri's broken wrist and took hold of the elbow and drew it closer to her.

Lowri winced at the sudden movement and gritted her teeth as a shooting pain shot up her arm.

Nat pulled out a small knife and cut up the sleeve of Lowri's stealth suit so she could access the wrist. Nat gently probed the skin, ignoring the moments when Lowri seemed to freeze and gently lined the bone up before setting the bone and then wrapping the wrist tightly in a soft bandage and then a tougher bandage. She added an elastic bandage on top of that and then pressed the arm against Lowri's chest.

"Hold your arm there, as still as you can." Nat instructed.

Lowri nodded her head and clenched her jaw as Nat tied a triangular bandage around the arm and around Lowri's back, the arm was strapped tightly against her chest and she couldn't move it.

"And… done." Nat said, she took her hands away and smiled at Lowri as she packed the first aid kit away. "Now, that wasn't too bad."

Lowri grimaced and relaxed, at least the arm should heal nicely like this.

"I absolutely hate having bones set. At least it didn't have to be re-set." Lowri said, Nat still packed the first aid kit away. "What happened between you and Steve?"

Nat looked up, "You're a wise old woman, aren't you?" Nat asked almost playfully.

Lowri smirked, "I am one-hundred-and-ninety-six." Lowri pointed out. "Now tell me what's going on."

"Nothing." Nat said quickly, she stopped fiddling with the first aid box and looked at Lowri. "It's just, uh, I may be the reason why your arm is broken." Nat said slowly. "Fury gave me another mission, aside from this one, to gather information and then wipe the hard drive. Steve walked in on me getting the intel and it distracted him. He wasn't too happy. And Batroc threw a grenade at us. We just about got away and then that's when you and Batroc got up close and personal."

"Well, I don't blame you for this." Lowri said quickly. "He's a nut-job that needs to be cracked. Obviously, I'm not the one to crack him."

"Yeah, well, Steve blames me." Nat said, she closed the box with a slam and got to her feet, she turned from Lowri and strode into the midst of the remaining S. T. R. I. K. E. team and disappeared into the cockpit.

Lowri watched as Steve looked at Nat as she passed by, and then Steve looked at her. Steve came over to her and sat down beside her.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked as he took a seat beside her, it was clear that he was still on edge about something.

"Yeah." Lowri said, "My arm will be healed in like a day or two."

Steve clasped his hands in his lap and twisted them, Lowri reached over with her good hand and turned her body as she moved, she placed her hand over his on his lap.

"You shouldn't blame Nat. It's my own fault, I came back." Lowri said, Steve didn't answer her but he pressed his lips together and turned his head from her. "I mean it, Steve, I came back to you when I heard the explosion. Even though you tried to push me away, I came back."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Lowri." Steve said, he turned his head back to her. "It's not just you getting hurt and how we could have avoided it, Fury tells us one thing and tells someone else something else. How can we work as a team and be successful if we don't know what's going on in the team?"

"Nick's got a certain way of running the show, Steve. It gets me on edge, but his methods work out." Lowri said, "He's been in the agency game for a long time. He worked his way up."

"You still agree with his choices even after he lied to you about Phase 2?" Steve asked.

"He didn't lie." Lowri said, "Nick's the director of S. H. I. E. L. D. and I'm not above his authority, even if I'm the reason why he's got the job. He keeps certain things from me because he knows I don't like them, like Phase 2."

"Maybe you can live with not being told important things, but that's not how I work." Steve said, he looked away from Lowri and stared at the wall in front of him. "It's not the right way to go about things, especially when human life is in danger."

Lowri took her hand from his and leant back against the wall, feeling very tired. Steve was getting himself worked up and she knew that when he got into this mood, it was better to let him ride it out. Hopefully, it would be gone by the time they landed.

But, as the jet touched down on the landing platform, one look at Steve told her that he was still in his mood and he was on his feet in an instant.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoy! I will update Tuesday next week.**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **I hope you've all had a brilliant week, mine has been quite good and I'm looking forward to the next week :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Nick's got a certain way of running the show, Steve. It gets me on edge, but his methods work out." Lowri said, "He's been in the agency game for a long time. He's worked his way up."_

 _"You still agree with his choices even after he lied to you about Phase 2?" Steve asked._

 _"He didn't lie." Lowri said, "Nick's the director of S. H. I. E. L. D. and I'm not above his authority, even if I'm the reason why he's got the job. He keeps certain things from me because he knows I don't like them, like Phase 2."_

 _"Maybe you can live with not being told important things, but that's not how I work." Steve said, he looked away from Lowri and stared at the wall in front of him. "It's not the right way to go about things, especially when human life is in danger."_

 _Lowri took her hand from his and leant back against the wall, feeling very tired. Steve was getting himself worked up and she knew that when he got into this mood, it was better to let him ride it out. Hopefully it would be gone by the time they landed._

 _But, as the jet touched down on the landing platform, one look at Steve told her that he was still in his mood and he was on his feet in an instant._

* * *

"You're coming with me to Fury." Steve said, he slid his shield onto his back, took hold of Lowri's good arm and pulled her to her feet. He led her from the jet, with a quick glance back at the team before he strode through the door that led to the lower levels of the Triskelion.

Once inside, Lowri pulled her arm from his grasp quickly and slowed to her own pace, feeling the fatigue of the mission falling on her, the lack of sleep from the night before didn't particularly help and she knew it was far too early in the day to start napping.

Steve slowed his pace to match hers and looked at her sternly.

"Why are we going to Nick?" Lowri asked.

"I want to know why he gave Nat another mission on the side without telling us." Steve replied quickly.

Lowri looked down at the floor and nodded slowly.

"Then why am I coming along?" She asked.

"Because you're the one who got him the job, maybe you can make him see sense." Steve said.

"I doubt it." Lowri muttered under her breath but Steve didn't hear her. They got into the elevator and Steve gave the order for Nick's office. The ride was short, thankfully, and very soon Steve strode into Nick's office with alarming authority ringing around him.

Nick looked up at the side of Steve heading right for him and Lowri walking behind at a much slower pace. While Steve headed for Nick, Lowri stepped to the side and made a beeline for Nick's white couch. She took a seat on the edge of the couch, facing Nick and Steve and then lay back and looked at the white ceiling, knowing her office was just a few stories above, offering solitude and a place to close her eyes, and a pillow.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Steve asked harshly.

"I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff simply had a different mission than yours." Nick said calmly. Obviously, Nat must have called ahead from the cockpit to warn Nick that her mission had been compromised.

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share." Steve snapped.

"I'm not obliged to do anything." Nick said calmly. His words didn't have the desired effect on Steve, instead of calming him and making him see reason, his words only riled Steve further.

"Those hostages could have died, Nick. If Nat hadn't been working behind my back, then maybe Lowri wouldn't have broken her wrist and got into a scrap with a man three times her size." Steve almost snarled.

"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen." Nick replied, "And Lowri is more than capable of taking care of herself, she's not something to wrap up in cotton wool."

"Soldiers trust each other. That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns." Steve said quickly, he was clearly thinking of his old team, the Howling Commandos. But that was a different time.

"The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye." Nick said, his words silenced Steve, who seemed to be contemplating his next words. "Look, I didn't want you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything." Nick paused, "You don't see Lowri getting all worked up about not knowing about Romanoff's other mission. She gets it."

Lowri sat up quickly and saw both Steve's and Nick's eyes on her.

"Actually, Nick, I don't agree with you." Lowri said, "But, I'm running on air with like three hours sleep in the last 48 hours so I literally don't care at the moment, but as soon as I'm able to function better, I'm going through your hard drive and seeing what other stuff you've been keeping from me."

"See?" Steve asked, he turned from Lowri and looked at Nick. "I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own."

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all." Nick answered smoothly.

"Except you." Steve said slowly.

There was a pause before Nick began talking again.

"You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that." Nick said, he narrowed his eye at Steve.

Nick pushed himself from his desk and stepped around the desk, he headed for the door with a jerk of his head.

Lowri watched Nick walk for the door and then locked eyes with Steve, she got to her feet and began following Nick. Steve waited until Lowri was in front of him before stepping off so he brought up the rear.

Nick led them down the corridor and to the elevator, the screen next to the doors flashed with the details and clearance level of whoever passed through the doors. Both Nick and Lowri are Level 10 whereas Steve has a Level 8 clearance.

"Insight Bay." Nick commanded.

Lowri looked at Nick, two years ago she gave up the Insight project to Nick so she could have more time to spend with Steve to help him get used to living in this century. How far had the project gone along? In all honesty, she had forgotten completely about it.

" _Captain Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight._ " The voice automated elevator informed them.

"Director override. Fury, Nicholas J." Nick replied.

Lowri leant against the rail opposite the now closed doors and crossed her good arm over her chest. She looked down at the floor, guessing that Steve would ask if she knew about the Insight project and she didn't want to lie and say no.

The elevator began its journey downwards and Steve settled beside Lowri.

"You know, these used to play music." Steve said gently, Lowri looked up and saw the genuine smile on his face.

"Those were the good days." Lowri said warmly.

"Yeah." Nick noted, he leant against the rail as the elevator sank into the ground. "My grandfather operated one of these for forty years. My granddad worked in a nice building. Got good tips. He'd walk home every night, a roll of ones stuff in his lunch bag. He'd say 'Hi'. People would say 'Hi' back." Nick said, "Time went on, the neighbourhood got a little rougher. He'd say 'Hi'. They'd say, 'Keep on steppin'.'. Granddad got to gripping on that lunch bag a little tighter." Nick said with a knowing smile.

"Did he ever get mugged?" Steve asked, he knew the kind of life that most people had back then. Dangerous if you were in the wrong part of town, he'd been on the receiving end of muggings before.

"Every week, some punk would say, 'What's in the bag?'" Nick answered with a laugh,

"What did he do?" Steve asked. Lowri looked over at Nick and smiled, hearing him talk about his family warmed her heart and reminded her of the man he really is.

"He'd show them." Nick replied simply, "Bunch of crumpled ones, and a loaded .22 Magnum."

The elevator dropped down beneath the ground floor was now descending into the lower levels of the Triskelion, not as deep as the storage levels but deep enough for the chill to seep through the glass.

Lowri turned and looked at the space in front of them with a wide mouth. How in the hell did someone keep an underground hangar a secret from her for so long? There were three large helicarriers, a better model compared to the ones she was used to and hundreds of people milled around, working on the helicarriers.

"Yeah, granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much." Nick said.

Steve was slow to realise what was going on behind him but he turned when he saw Lowri's expression and then his eyes widened as he gawped at the three huge helicarriers in front of him.

Project Insight had certainly moved along from the planning stage where Lowri had left it only a year ago.

"Yeah, I know." Nick said as he turned and looked too. "They're a little bigger than a .22." Nick said, the guns that hung on the sides of the helicarriers were massive and the jets were being loaded up onto each of the flight decks.

The elevator stopped right on the bottom floor and they all stepped out. Seeing these huge helicarriers right in front of your face was eye-opening. When Lowri headed the project, the main object of Insight was for a helicarrier to hover in the skies above Europe, the Americas and Asia and monitor the world below, gathering intel and sending it back to S. H. I. E. L. D.

Now, with all the guns and the jets, it looked as though hundreds of people would be staying on board, instead of the team of agents, mechanics, scientists and specialists that was originally intended.

"This is Project Insight." Nick explained as they headed for one of the helicarriers. "Three next-generation helicarriers synched to a network of targeting satellites."

Beside her, Steve leant back in realisation and it took her another second to click.

"Launched from the _Lemurian Star._ " Steve said slowly.

"And you needed the ship cleaned because it was compromised by Batroc and his team. That's why you gave Nat the side mission." Lowri said.

"Once we get them in the air, they never need to come back down. Continuous sub-orbital flight, courtesy of our new engines." Nick said, they walked closer to one of the helicarriers. He gestured to the new-looking engines. They looked a little different than the ones used before.

"Stark?" Steve asked quickly.

"He had a few suggestions once he got an up-close look at our old turbines." Nick said, he smiled over at Lowri.

"That man has an opinion for everything." Lowri said as they headed under one of the helicarriers.

"And he was very persistent in his suggestions." Nick admitted with a knowing smile. They came to a stop on a raised platform near to the elevator. "These new long-range precision guns can eliminate 1000 hostiles a minute."

Lowri turned to him with a sharp look. 1000 hostiles a minute?

"The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider-hole. We're gonna neutralise a lot of threats before they even happen." Nick said calmly.

There was something about the way he spoke so calmly about the subject of wiping 1000 souls off the earth in a minute caused alarm bells to ring in Lowri's head.

"Thought the punishment came after the crime." Steve said in a matter of fact kind of way.

"We can't afford to wait that long." Nick replied. Lowri could sense another stare-off between them happening again.

"Who's we?" Steve asked sharply.

"After New York, I convinced the World Security Council that we needed a quantum surge in threat analysis. For once, we're ahead of the curve." Nick said.

"And this is what you call threat analysis?" Lowri asked, she dropped her good arm and stared at him.

"By holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it protection." Steve said sarcastically. He looked over at Lowri and they shared a thankful look, they're on the same page.

"Why wasn't I informed when the project changed course?" Lowri asked.

"You knew about Insight?" Steve asked, wheeling to her.

"Project Insight was mine until I passed it on. I don't even recognise it anymore." Lowri replied almost icily as she turned and looked at Nick with a cool look.

"You know, I read those SSR files that you stashed away, Ri, the ones downstairs that you forbade anyone to look at? 'Greatest Generation'? You guys did some nasty stuff." Nick said, he looked from Lowri and his eyes settled on Steve.

"Yeah," Steve said, he stepped forward and almost shielded Lowri from Nick. "We compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear." Steve said.

"The world is hazy now and threats are everywhere, but this is no way to deal with them. By launching these ships you're guaranteeing hundreds of threats to rise up against us which means more than 1000 people killed just to keep peace." Lowri said.

"S. H. I. E. L. D. takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be." Nick began but Lowri cut him off, she stepped around Steve and glared at Nick.

"Oh no, you don't get to lecture me on S. H. I. E. L. D.'s basis." Lowri said quickly. "S. H. I. E. L. D. was started so we could protect this world and the people on it, not scare them into submission." Lowri snapped. Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know what S. H. I. E. L. D. has become but it is not the same organisation that I started."

"The world is continually changing and so, we must change to suit the world's needs." Nick said slowly. He glanced between Steve and Lowri and narrowed his eye. "Both of you need to get with the programme."

Steve stepped closer to Nick and lowered his voice. "Don't hold your breath."

Steve turned back to her and took hold of her good arm. He stormed off, pulling Lowri with him. Lowri glanced back at Nick with a rueful look and saw that he was glaring after them.

Lowri stepped into the elevator first and turned to look at Steve as she stepped backwards.

"Ground floor." Lowri said. She pressed her back against the elevator as Steve stepped closer.

"So, you knew about the project. Why wasn't I told?" Steve asked quickly.

She shrank back against the wall. "Insight was only on paper when I passed it over to Nick. I was leading it when you came out of the ice and I gave it to him so I could spend more time with you." Lowri explained.

"You didn't think to check on the project as time got on? I didn't take up all of your time, Ri." Steve pointed out.

"In all honesty, I completely forgot about it. The helicarriers were supposed to be machines of monitoring, not destruction." Lowri said.

Steve turned from her, seemingly unable to comprehend that she didn't know about Insight.

"Look, I didn't know what Nick was planning. Clearly, you're not the only one he doesn't tell things to." Lowri said slowly. Hurt flashed behind her eyes but she turned her head from him so he couldn't see.

"It's not a nice feeling, is it?" Steve asked, he dropped his shoulders and looked to the ground.

"No, it's not." Lowri agreed. She crossed her good arm over her stomach, winced at the bruises and looked at Steve. "I knew Nick kept things from me, he always has and I suspect he always will. Sometimes, I feel as though he's edging me out of the chain of command."

Steve looked up at her, "I don't think he's trying to do that, Ri." Lowri raised an eyebrow and Steve pressed his lips together as the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the ground floor.

They stepped out together and Lowri looked up at him, "I'm not happy about the idea of weapons flying in the sky, either." She said slowly.

"Well, that's something we can agree on." Steve said, he smiled at her "Shall we get changed out of our gear?"

Lowri nodded her head. "Sounds like a good idea." She said, they fell into step with each other and crossed the lobby towards the door that would lead to the big hall that held the large plaque that held all the names of fallen SSR and S. H. I. E. L. D. agents and there were two doors out of this room.

Steve veered off to the left, heading for the male locker room while Lowri headed off to the right, the ladies' locker room.

The locker rooms were lovely, light and open spaced. The lockers spanned the wall to the left of the door, all dark grey and there was one for every agent. There's a combination lock on each and Lowri's was her younger sister's birthday, 1826.

There was a wall separating the individual shower cubicles and the small changing rooms. Lowri grabbed the change of clothes in her locker, stepped into a shower cubicle. She took a quick shower and took care not to wet the bandages wrapped around her arm.

Lowri stood in front of the mirror that was in the changing cubicle she stood in and saw the bruises on her stomach for the first time. Her skin was mottled with yellow, purple, red and blue and it looked very painful. Now that she was aware of them, and after the initial adrenalin had worn off, even the twist of her torso hurt her.

She'd have to be careful around Steve. He knew about her wrist but he didn't know about her stomach.

She dressed in a loose grey shirt, light blue jeans and white flats, her hair dried itself as she dressed and she grabbed the triangular bandage that she had taken off to shower. She can't tie it back on.

Lowri left the locker room with her phone in her side-pocket, her soft green plush jacket tied around her waist and a smile on her face when she spied Steve sitting on the bench a few feet away from the plaque.

It was a nice thought that Peggy had, to write down all the names of those who died serving them and as soon as she had that idea, she wanted to have all the SSR names on there first. Steve's and Bucky's names are up there.

There's plaques similar to this in all of the S. H. I. E. L. D. bases and that's to remind everyone of those who fell before them.

Lowri thought that Steve would be slightly annoyed at having to wait so long for her, showering with one arm is hard, and so is dressing. But, he looked up at her with a soft smile on his face and he got to his feet slowly.

He wore blue jeans, white t-shirt and a very dark blue jacket, he had his keys in his hands, which he slid into his pocket as he stood up.

As she approached, she tilted her head at him with a smile on her lips.

"What are you thinking?" Lowri asked, she held the bandage between her fingers and came to a stop just in front of him.

"I was thinking – oh, do you need help putting that back on?" Steve asked, pointing at the bandage between her fingers. Lowri nodded and offered it to him.

"Yes, please. It's hard to do one handed." Lowri admitted. She passed the bandage over to him.

"You managed to get that jacket around your waist on." Steve pointed out knowingly.

"That's different, I used the wall to help with that." Lowri laughed. Steve chuckled and made the bandage into a triangle shape. Lowri placed her bandaged arm against her chest and let Steve wrap the bandage around her arm and then loop the ends around her back and neck, then tie them together to fully support her arm.

"Good job." Lowri said with a grin as she tested the bandage, she looked up at him and smiled, "What were you saying?"

"Oh, yeah." Steve said, "I was wondering if you wanted to come to the Smithsonian with me?" Steve asked, he slid his hands into his pockets and smiled almost shyly. "I thought it would be nice to, you know, do something normal together?" Steve asked, a faint blush crept onto his cheeks and he glanced down to avoid her eyes, knowing.

They hadn't really talked about being _together_ as a couple, they were treading gently around the subject. They had an understanding stretched between them, where Steve was coming to terms with living in another century and he doesn't have to be distracted knowing that Lowri is waiting for him to announce his love. They act as though Lowri never blurted out her true feelings for him on that day in the Alps.

"Something normal?" Lowri asked, "As in the Captain America exhibition they've got running?"

"As weird as it sounds, yeah." Steve said with a laugh.

"That might be the most normal thing we ever do." Lowri pointed out, she nodded her head. "Something normal sounds… nice."

Steve grinned at her and he pulled his keys from his pocket, "Let's go for a ride." Steve said with a smirk. Lowri's smile faltered when she remembered that Steve has a motorcycle. Steve turned from her, not seeing her uncomfortable look and led the way out to the lobby.

Motorcycles always makes her panic and they always made her nervous when riding it. Even though Steve loves his motorcycle and he's good at controlling and she trusts him with her life, she still gets that uncomfortable feeling brewing in her stomach.

She's fine with cars, buses, trains, planes and lorries, even ships. But anything with less than three wheels sends her into panic mode.

"Are we going on your death trap?" Lowri asked as she followed him out into the lobby.

"Well, yeah." Steve said, "You left your car at your apartment and Nat drove us in. I left the bike here a few days back when I had a ride off you." He looked back at her and saw the look on her face, "You're warming to the bike, Ri, otherwise you wouldn't agree so willingly."

Lowri pulled a face at him. "I tend to steer away from two-wheeled death traps." Lowri replied.

Steve laughed and shook his head at her, a pair of younger agents passed by them and looked at them with awe.

"Yet you flew that plane with Howard into enemy fire without care." Steve pointed out, the two agents moved on quickly.

"That was different." Lowri put in.

"You can't even die, Lowri. Why are you scared?" Steve asked.

"I'm not." Lowri insisted. They headed out of the front doors and they turned right, heading for the tunnel that led to the underground parking lot. "Okay. Maybe a little bit. I don't know why, but when I think of two wheels, I just can't even think of how owning one of those machines are enjoyable."

"You just haven't got enough experience with them." Steve said, "You've flown planes single-handedly and you've driven cars, but you've never actually experienced riding a motorcycle alone. You could have a go at driving mine, if you wanna get more experience?"

Lowri looked up at him and a small laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Steve looked at her and chuckled, clearly amused by her answer at riding a motorcycle.

"I appreciate the gesture, Steve, honestly I do, but I think I'll just hitch a ride off you if I need to." Lowri said.

"And I always thought you took risks." Steve said, they came out into the underground parking lot and headed for the front of the parking lot where all the motorcycles were parked.

Lowri rolled her eyes at his back, "Sometimes, it's best to be cautious." Lowri noted as they approached Steve's motorcycle.

"Then let me take the risks." Steve said with a smirk aimed her way. He pulled his helmet on and passed her the spare from under the seat, he climbed on first.

* * *

 **Next update will be Tuesday :)**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, I have to apologise for the late update, I was in work for what felt like all of yesterday.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel character that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"You can't even die, Lowri. Why are you scared?" Steve asked._

 _"I'm not." Lowri insisted. They headed out of the front doors and they turned right, heading for the runnel that led to the underground parking lot. "Okay. Maybe a little bit. I don't know why, but when I think of two wheels, I just can't even think of how owning one of those machines are enjoyable."_

 _"You just haven't got enough experience with them." Steve said, "You've flown_ _planes single-handedly and you've driven cars, but you've never actually experienced riding a motorcycle alone. You could have a go at driving mine, if you wanna get more experience?"_

 _Lowri looked up at him and a small laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Steve looked at her and chuckled, clearly amused by her answer at riding a motorcycle._

 _"I appreciate the gesture, Steve, honestly I do, but I think I'll just hitch a ride off you if I need to." Lowri said._

 _"And I always thought you took risks." Steve said, they came out into the underground parking lot and headed for the front of the parking lot where all the motorcycles were parked._

 _Lowri rolled her eyes at his back, "Sometimes, it's best to be cautious." Lowri noted as they approached Steve's motorcycle._

 _"Then let me take the risks." Steve said with a smirk aimed her way. He pulled his helmet on and passed her the spare from under the seat, he climbed on first._

* * *

Steve started up the motorcycle as Lowri pulled the helmet on, Steve glanced back at her when she realised how hard it was gonna be to strap the helmet on one handed.

"What's the matter?" Steve asked, turning to look at her.

"I can't strap my helmet on." Lowri said.

"Come here." Steve said, gesturing for her to come closer. Lowri stepped closer and dropped her good arm. Steve took his hands off the handlebars and took hold of the straps under her chin. She tilted her head backwards while Steve tightened the chin strap. His fingers brushed the skin on her neck and she had to fight to keep still, otherwise the shiver would have run its course.

Lowri slid onto the bike behind Steve after he had tightened the straps beneath her chin, she wrapped her good arm around his waist, with her other arm trapped between her chest and his back.

As soon as she was settled, Steve pulled off and Lowri held onto him tighter, she wasn't sure if it was Steve chuckling at her or the rumbling engine of the motorcycle that shook her gently, but she suspected it was Steve.

Steve wove the motorcycle through the traffic they met expertly on their short journey to the Smithsonian. The corner they took to get into the Smithsonian parking lot was sharp and Steve took it a little too hard, Lowri gripped onto Steve a little tighter but she relaxed when they pulled into a parking space.

Now she knew it was definitely him chuckling and not the engine.

As soon as he stopped, she slid away from him and got her leg as he killed the engine. He turned in his seat and smiled at her, a glint in his eyes.

"You survived." Steve noted.

"Barely." Lowri replied. She reached up and undid the clasp on the strap under her chin, she passed the helmet back to Steve, "Wipe that smirk off your face and stay here, soldier."

Steve's smirk dropped off his face and he narrowed his eyes at her, he took the helmet off her and put it on his lap.

"Why?" He asked sharply.

"Because you've for one of those faces that everyone knows." Lowri said, she reached into her pocket and dug around for her card but she came up with crumpled notes. "And we are going into an exhibition all about _you._ So, you need a disguise."

She stepped backwards with a smile on her face, Steve watched her carefully.

"Stay here. I'll go in and grab you something." Lowri said, stepping back.

"Well, hurry up. We're supposed to be spending time together." Steve said and his smile widened.

Lowri turned from Steve quickly so he couldn't see the blush rising in her cheeks. She headed inside the Smithsonian and turned into the gift shop. She headed for the clothing section and picked out a dark blue baseball cap.

It was twenty-five dollars and luckily, Lowri had enough cash on her. She was under the impression that she and Steve were just having a normal day but Steve seemed to think that it was a day for them to spend time together. Not that she was complaining, she would enjoy a day with Steve regardless.

She left the gift shop with her purchase and headed for Steve.

He was leant against his bike with his arms crossed over his chest. Already, the public streaming past were eyeing him up, recognising him. Maybe Lowri should have left Steve somewhere where he wouldn't draw so much attention, but the man can't help it.

Lowri came to a stop in front of him and passed over the dark blue baseball cap to him and he willingly tugged the cap over his blonde hair and looked at her expectedly.

"So, how do I look?" Steve asked with a cocky smile. For a small moment, Lowri was taken back to 1942 when Steve stepped out of the chamber and looked at her with the same cocky smile.

"Like a normal guy." Lowri said with a smile, she pressed her lips together and leant back on one leg as Steve stood to his full height, "Actually, I don't think that's possible with you." She added.

Steve laughed as he stepped towards her and they fell into step together as they headed for the Smithsonian entrance.

They stepped in together and Steve looked around with wide eyes at all the signs with the exhibit names on them, but there was only one that Steve actually wanted to see.

" _Welcome to the Smithsonian. Visitor information booths are available on the second level._ " An announcement came across the speaker system and as they stood there, Lowri slipped her hand into his.

Steve looked down at their hands and smiled. This wasn't for her, to feel close to him it was for him to know that someone was there for him. She knew this would be difficult for him.

Lowri had seen signs of the exhibit for Steve, but she hadn't wanted to go because she felt as though she was trespassing on his privacy.

They stepped further into the Smithsonian and came across the exhibit for Steve.

It was strange, standing with Steve in front of the exhibition and neither of them were sure if they wanted to go in.

The first information board that welcome them was just in front of them to the left, reading: _CAPTAIN AMERICA: The Living Legend and Symbol of Courage._

" _A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honour, bravery and sacrifice._ " An announcement sounded above them.

Lowri squeezed Steve's hand again and Steve gave her a thankful smile and then they stepped into the start of the exhibit.

She felt pulled in straight away to the exhibit and it was actually amazing, seeing all this information compiled about Steve and his team and his adventures all piled into one place.

The second board they came to, which seemed to start off a story. This one was about Steve, pre-serum. There was an image of him, a blown-up image of him at Camp Lehigh and it might have been a few days into the training week. He was skinny and the dog-tags were hanging around his neck, outside of his shirt.

There was information underneath the blown-up image and Lowri leant closer to read it.

"Weight, 95lbs." Lowri said, she leant back and looked up at Steve with a smile on her face, "Chester wasn't happy about letting a 90lb asthmatic kid onto his camp." He raised his eyebrows up at the word 'kid' but said nothing. "He aired his opinions a lot that week."

"Then I'm glad that someone had her head screwed on tight that week." Steve said in a low tone, he tugged Lowri closed to him, she almost fell into the hard muscle.

"Aren't you lucky?" Lowri laughed. "Wow, 5'4"." Lowri said, she looked back up at Steve. "I'm pretty sure you were still taller than me, even then."

Steve towered over her now, he looked down at her and smiled comfortably before heading to the next information board, which was about him post-serum.

The blown-up image they selected this time was one taken just after Steve had stepped out of the chamber, just after his transformation. Steve in the image wasn't looking at the camera, instead he was looking away and Lowri suspected that he had been looking at her, probably asking 'how did he look' in that damn smooth accent of his.

"6'2". Now that's a better height." Steve said with a thoughtful look on his face. His weight was stated t 240lbs, which seems to tie in well with the height.

"I have to agree there. You can now reach the top shelf." Lowri noted with a smile.

" _Denied enlistment due to poor health,_ " The announcement began, Lowri looked up at Steve as he listened intently. " _Steven Rogers was chosen for a programme unique in the annals of American Warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first Super Soldier._ "

"Pretty sure you're the only Super Soldier too, but I could be wrong." Lowri noted as they walked away. Steve turned to look back at the display board showing Steve's original height and then it changed to Steve's current height, showing the difference between the two and Steve pressed his lips to a little boy who realised who he was.

Lowri tuned out the ongoing commentary as they rounded a corner, Steve's shoulders sagged when he caught sight of a motorcycle in front of them. It was his first bike, the one he used during the war and it had been destroyed during the war.

The bike had been collected together and repaired for display purposes only.

Lowri let go of Steve's hand as he stepped towards the motorcycle. She stepped backwards and away from him as he headed for the bike, he had a contemplating look on his face.

An information board caught her eye and she stepped towards it. The board was labelled _Project Rebirth and the Origins of Captain America._

Firstly, the board started off by introducing Colonel Chester Phillips and Doctor Abraham Erskine, as the two original brains behind the operation and then, they mentioned a lowly officer from the women's branch of the Royal Air Force in Britain.

This peaked Lowri's interest, she had no idea the Smithsonian had information about her alias.

 _Flight Officer Elizabeth Jones, a young woman from RAF Stormy Down in South Wales was selected to aid in Project Rebirth from a clerical point of view. Elizabeth had a talent for defining a person by spending a short period of time with them. Due to this, Air Commodore Trefusis-Forbes recommended Elizabeth to be put forward for the role in Project Rebirth. The Marshal of the Air Force, Sir Christopher Courtney put forward the name to Colonel Chester Phillips and she was accepted. Elizabeth was tasked with sifting through the one hundred files that were shortlisted for the training week held at Camp Lehigh._

Lowri was eager to read this, though she had lived through it all. But she hadn't known that Sir Christopher Courtney had even heard of her yet he approved her nomination.

 _When asked what sort of woman Elizabeth Jones had been, Colonel Chester Phillips began his explanation with a laugh._

 _'_ Elizabeth Jones was the sort of woman that you listened to, regardless of her rank. She had a quick mind and she was never scared to air her mind and let her opinions known. Despite the countless of men that laughed at me when I named her as my second in command on all my bases and stations, I knew there was no other choice that I would have beside me in those terrible times. Elizabeth Jones was intelligent, smart on her feet and she had a way of making herself liked and known in a male-dominated work place, and she definitely wasn't afraid of making herself heard.'

 _The Colonel paused in thought, as if to remember the woman from his memories and who passed before her time._

'I am glad that she was recommended for Project Rebirth, I'm sure it wouldn't have gone ahead as planned if she hadn't been there. I am glad to know the woman she became. She was a great help.'

Lowri smiled as she read those words. Who knew that Chester was happy that she had been there?

 _Under Colonel Chester Phillips' command, Elizabeth Jones transferred to the American Army, obtaining a visa and she climbed the ranks and achieved many great things during her time in America. Elizabeth stuck with the SSR, even after Project Rebirth had been disbanded when the brain behind the serum, Doctor Abraham Erskine, was brutally murdered by a German spy. She, along with Colonel Chester Phillips moved the operation to Britain where for the next year, they worked hard against Hydra but it was becoming increasingly difficult, well, that was until Captain America reappeared, fresh from the media,_

" _A lowly officer from the women's branch of the Royal Air Force_?" Steve asked form beside her. Lowri jumped at the sound of his voice just beside her and turned to him sharply. She relaxed when she saw it was him. "Is that how they really described you?" Steve asked.

Lowri shrugged her shoulders and leant closer to the board. Her eyes caught onto the photograph that was beside the long paragraph. It was the same one that Steve had somehow gotten and had in his compass.

"Well, that's what I was." Lowri said, she glanced up and found Steve smiling at her gently. "I mean, Flight Officer wasn't exactly a big rank that everyone knew."

Steve pulled a 'maybe' face. "Maybe. But Major was." Steve said with a smirk.

There were a few more photographs of her dotted around the board, one of her leaning over a table with a large map laid out on top of it and she was talking to a group of men, seeming to be pointing at little flags with H on them, one was of her with her friends, Kathleen, Ann and Rose at RAF Stormy Down before they were separated. Lowri's eyes teared up.

"There were so many other Flight Officers in the WAAF." Lowri said with a sigh, "I was just another one."

"Until your King caught sight of you and promoted you." Steve laughed.

"Yeah, I guess." Lowri laughed. She spotted the last few lines on the board about her and she stepped closer to get a better look.

 _Elizabeth Jones went on to fight with the 107_ _th_ _, the Howling Commandos, though she never actually became one of them, she fought many missions with them overseas, earning a name for herself. She teamed with the Howling Commandos on a hard mission set in the rough terrain in Russia 1948 and during an attack from Russian forces, Elizabeth lost her life. Her body was never recovered._

"I remember all of the fuss." Lowri said, stepping back. Steve leant forward to read. "Peggy hid me in her house for the weeks that followed, I looked after her children while she went out to work, then Howard took me in, he had this office in Upstate New York and there was some rooms behind it, I stayed there. That was round about the time Howard had the call about starting a new organisation and he wanted us involved."

"How long did you stay hidden?" Steve asked, leaning back.

"About five or six years, Howard managed to get me papers with my real name. By the time this happened, we had already laid down the basics for S. H. I. E. L. D." Lowri explained.

They turned from that information board and headed out to look at more exhibits. There was a large portion of the exhibit saved for the Howling Commandos. It was huge, colourful and definitely over the top.

Each of the uniforms, some were fake ones but others were originals, like Steve's uniform right at the front, it was his original uniform, the one they found him in, including the first ever shield Steve used. Above the uniforms, on the wall was images of each Howling Commando and tears came to Lowri's eyes.

This time, it was Steve taking hold of her hand, instead of the other way around. He pulled her with him when he saw an information board dedicated to his closest friend.

" _Best friends since childhood, James Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both the schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country._ "

A short film played out on a screen, showing photographs and a short film with Steve and Bucky laughing together.

Lowri didn't know what to say to him, she knew his death must still be raw for Steve. Instead of saying something, Lowri squeezed his hand and he smiled at her in thank you.

They continued moving through the exhibition and came to a stop just outside a small booth playing a video on a loop inside.

It was Peggy.

Steve and Lowri slipped in at the end of the video and waited for it to start again. A mother and son stepped in after them and chose seats near the front so Steve and Lowri took seats right at the back and leant against the wall to watch the short film.

A subtitle underneath read _Margaret Carter, New Office, 1953._

Lowri exhaled at the sight of her lifelong friend looking so young, wholesome and ready to tackle the world.

" _That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind German lines. Steve, the Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a Hydra blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men. Including the man who would… who would become my husband, as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life._ "

Lowri swallowed hard and pressed her lips together as the scene cut out and the screen went dark. She felt a few tears roll down her cheeks and she dropped her head so no one could see.

Seeing Peggy looking like that, it was refreshing to see Peggy look so young and capable. During that time, Lowri was still in hiding and Peggy was out working on laying down the ground work for S. H. I. E. L. D with Howard Stark and Chester Phillips.

"I want to see Peggy." Steve said slowly, "She's still alive, isn't she?" Steve asked as he got to his feet, he looked down at Lowri and as he spoke, Lowri glanced up. He spotted the glistening tears on her cheeks. "Hey, why are you crying?" He asked quickly, he looked up as the other two people in room got up and shuffled out.

Steve got down on his knees in front of Lowri as she dropped her head again and he placed a hand on her knee gently.

"She's alive." Lowri said, she looked back up at him and wiped at her eyes, "But she's not the same anymore-" she cut herself off as she wiped more tears from her cheeks.

"What do you mean she's not the same?" Steve asked gently, his hand on her knee tightened slightly.

"She's old." Lowri said quietly. "She has Alzheimer's disease. She forgets things." It took Steve a moment to understand what she had said and when he did, his expression softened and he moved his hand from her knee and up to her cheek so he cupped her cheek.

"Oh, Lowri." Steve said softly. Steve pulled her into his arms, sliding between her legs and he held her close by wrapping his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt slight pressure from her legs on either side of him.

"If you still wanna see her, well, you can. She's in DC." Lowri said, she pulled back from Steve by placing a hand on his chest and pushing back gently.

Steve nodded his head and they got to their feet together, Steve kept his arm around her shoulders as they slowly made their way out of the Smithsonian. Lowri wasn't crying as such, a few tears leaked out when she thought of the woman Peggy had been.

It was one more journey on the motorcycle, but it was worth it. Lowri couldn't bring herself to go into the nursing home with Steve to see her, it gets harder each time she passed through the doors so she let Steve go in by himself and she sat on the top step just in front of the entrance with his shield beside her, waiting patiently.

He was in there for an hour and a half and when he finally made an appearance beside her again, her legs were getting numb. Steve bumped his leg with hers as he sat down beside her.

"You're right." Steve said gently, he propped his arms across his knees and looked down. "She recognised me to start off with, and we were chatting. Well, she was telling me how she was so happy that I came back for you." Steve said, he looked over at her. "And then she just stopped talking and this blank look came over her eyes and she looked at me, blinked and said my name again. She began crying, she wept that it had been so long and that you were in grieving and then once she settled down, she asked if we had gone on our date and I told her no, so she scolded me."

Lowri nodded her head gently, "It's hard for her, Steve. She forgets things and then sometimes she gets frustrated when she can't remember simple things like birthdays. And it's only getting worse, soon she won't recognise her own children and me. But she doesn't know the difference, over time it all mushes together and you've just gotta go along with it, no matter how much it hurts."

Steve looked away from her and looked at his clasped hands, balanced on his knees.

"You know, when you first told me that you were still alive and looking like you always have, all I could think was how much I was hurting on the inside for being kept in the dark all that time I knew you, and how much I had to catch up with, learning who was dead or dying, who was slowly wasting away." Steve said.

He looked over at her and they locked eyes.

"And, at the beginning, I was angry with you because you never told me any of this. I had to find it out alone. But now, I think you've had the worst of it. you had to live through it all with them, watch them grow old and age, you had to watch them grow weaker and sicker. It can't have been easy."

Lowri sighed, "No, it wasn't." Lowri said quietly. "It's not the first time this has happened, I just have to live with it. I have no other choice."

Steve nudged her shoulder with his gently and smiled at her.

"Come on." Steve said, he pushed himself to his feet and turned back to her, he offered her his hand and with her good hand, she reached out and took his hand, allowing him to pull to her to her feet. "I got one more place to be and then we're free for the day." Steve said, he reached around her and took up his shield, and led her back to the motorcycle.

For the third time, Lowri climbed onto the motorcycle behind Steve and wrapped her good arm around Steve's waist. She felt a shiver run through her when she pressed her hand against his stomach to get a good grip on the fabric of his t-shirt.

Being this close to him reminded her some of the reasons why she fell in love with him to start off with, she fell in love with the man he was, the muscles were a plus.

She won't admit to anyone, but Steve smells so good to her. Another reason why he's so intoxicating.

The bike whizzed along the streets, and Lowri had no indication as to where they were going, Steve gave no indication either about their destination. Lowri gripped onto him tighter whenever they rounded a corner. It was only when they slowed down slightly to enter a car park did Lowri see where they were heading, the VA.

Steve rolled to a stop in a parking spot outside the VA and Lowri shuffled off the motorcycle. She unclipped her helmet strap and Steve stashed the helmets away.

"Why're we here?" Lowri asked as Steve got off the bike and put his keys into his back pocket.

"I wanted to have a look in on Sam, you know, check out what he does. Maybe even make him look cool in front of the lady at the front desk." Steve said with a smile.

"Well, I hope they got a bathroom in there." Lowri said, "I've been busting to go since we got into the Smithsonian."

"Why didn't you go while we were there?" Steve asked, looking down at her as they headed towards the VA.

"I didn't want to leave you alone." Lowri replied, she smiled up at him softly and he smiled back. "I could tell seeing all that was going to be tough."

"Well, thanks. And I'm pretty sure there's facilities inside." Steve said, the neared the building. "You know, you're gonna have to tell me all your stories from when you served with the 107th."

"I promise I will." Lowri said with a smile.

"Good." Steve said, they entered the building and spied the lady sitting at the front desk, she was young and beautiful. "Bathrooms over there." Steve said pointing.

"See you in a bit." Lowri said, wheeling off. She glanced back and saw Steve stop to wait for her. "You go and see Sam, I'll find you later."

Steve nodded and headed to the front desk where he could ask where Sam was.

Lowri headed into the bathroom and then once she was done, she headed out and crossed to the front desk. She asked where Sam Wilson was and followed the directions to the other end of the VA.

She almost rounded a corner but she stopped short when she heard Sam and Steve talking together.

"But you're happy, back in the world?" Steve asked, his tone was light but it was a serious question. He must be referring to Sam coming back from a tour and settling back into normal life.

"The number of people giving me orders is down to about zero, so, hell yeah." Sam said almost smugly. He chuckled, "Are you thinking about getting out?"

Lowri felt as though she had been punched in the gut. She had never thought to think of that? What if Steve is tired of all of this? The risks mount up, he hardly gets time to himself since he's either always in the base or spending his time with Lowri.

"No." Steve said firmly, she could see him shaking his head. "I don't know." Steve sighed. There was that punch again, but she could understand it. This life, fighting, was all he had known. "To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself."

That, Lowri could agree with. She had stuck around in S. H. I. E. L. D. since it had begun and she knew no other life. The other professions she had before… she can't use those skills now.

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam asked, the two of them laughed together and Lowri pressed herself against the wall. "Just a great idea off the top of my head. Seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?"

"She does." Steve replied instantly. Lowri's eyes widened. What? _What_? She makes him happy? "I mean, when I'm around her I forget how to talk and since I woke up, I've wanted to tell her one thing, but I can't get the words out."

"You love her, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Steve said. Lowri's mouth dropped open and she clamped her hand to her mouth to silence the gasp. "I've known for a long time."

Lowri pressed her lips together and then stepped around the corner, aiming to pretend like she hadn't heard his words.

"Hey." She said as she stepped around the corner, "Alright Sam?"

"Hi." Steve said quickly, a flush crept onto his cheeks and he glanced down.

"Alright, Scorch." Sam grinned.

"Uh, I was thinking that we could get something to eat, I mean, I haven't eaten anything since this morning." Lowri said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." Steve said, he looked back up at her and nodded.

"What about you? Wanna grab some food?" Lowri asked, looking at Sam.

"No thanks, I'm good. I've got plans later. But thanks for the offer." Sam said as he shook his head.

"Alright, your loss." Lowri said with a smile.

"It's just you and me then." Steve said, he smiled down at Lowri and then her stomach grumbled loudly. "Okay, I think it's time to feed the monster."

Lowri laughed, "Thanks. So, I'm a monster?" She asked.

"Only when you're hungry." Steve replied.

"Well, it was nice to see you both, I hope you both made me look good in front of the lady at the front desk." Sam said.

"Of course." Steve smiled. "See you again, Sam."

"Tra." Lowri said, waving her hand as she and Steve turned away.

They headed for the exit and crossed to the bike. "Where do you wanna go for food?" Steve asked as he pulled out the helmets.

"Ooh." Lowri said, her stomach grumbled loudly again. "Okay, it's getting to that point where I'm past hunger."

"Well, I think I know a good place." Steve said, he passed over her helmet and pulled on his own before helping fasten hers.

Steve got onto the bike first and Lowri climbed on after him. He kick-started the engine and pulled off, he wove through the traffic and Lowri had no idea where he was going but she clung onto his tightly until they came to a stop outside an Italian Pizza place that looked deserted.

"Pizza." Steve said triumphantly as he killed the engine.

Lowri released her grip on him and slid off the bike as she looked up at the restaurant.

"How did you know pizza was a favourite of mine?" Lowri asked, she reached up and unclipped the chin strap.

"A complete guess." Steve answered, he stashed the helmets away and turned back to her. "I found this place a few months back when I was out riding. The food is really good and service is excellent. They didn't gawk at me."

They stepped into the restaurant together and stepped up to the podium where a young man promptly seated them near a window.

The waitress appeared and took their drink orders and handed them both a menu.

Lowri skimmed over the menu, feeling her mouth water. "Oh, it all looks so good." She sighed.

"I have to agree." Steve said, "But food does taste so much better now, doesn't it?" Steve asked.

"It tastes better but it's not necessarily healthier." Lowri said, she smiled at the menu and glanced up at Steve. "What?"

"Nothing." Steve said, he dropped his eyes to the menu but Lowri kept her eyes on him.

"Do you want your dog-tags back?" Lowri asked, Steve looked back up at her sharply.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you want your dog-tags back?" She repeated. "When you were found on the _Valkyrie,_ they took them off you and gave them to me. I don't know why. And I've got your first set and Bucky's. You can have them."

"How did you get Bucky's tags?" Steve asked, he leant back in his seat and looked at her.

"We cleaned out the train after you got back. We found them and I was going to give them to you after the Alps but…"

Steve nodded his head as the waitress appeared with their drinks and asked for their orders. Steve ordered the meat feast and Lowri ordered the Hawaiian.

"It would be nice to have them back." Steve said gently.

"Good. They've got me into a spot of trouble in the past." Lowri said, Steve looked at her curiously.

"How so?" He asked.

"It's a very long story." Lowri said, "In 1946, Howard was labelled as a traitor of the United States." She began, she told the story while their food was cooked, served and as they ate.

She told him how she and Peggy tried to clear Howard's name when he was labelled a traitor, how both of them worked from within the SSR, therefore, being traitors as well. But from Lowri's own fault, she was caught and when they searched her room at the Griffiths, they found the dog-tags and connected the dots.

"So, one of them caught up with me eventually, his name was Daniel Sousa and he was a lovely chap. Married Peggy in the end, and he threatened to shoot me if I tried to run, which of course I did and he actually shot me."

"Well, that's certainly interesting." Steve said as he wiped his mouth, he watched her carefully.

"My life has always been interesting." Lowri said with a knowing smile. "Keeping your dog-tags reminded me of a time that changed my life, both for good and bad."

"Hopefully now it's all good." Steve said before Lowri called for the check. "You don't have to pay, Ri. It was my choice to come here."

"It's not the 40's anymore, Steve. Think of what you've done for me and let me pay."

Steve sat back in his chair and laughed, "Just remember, how many people actually take their 'I'll take a bullet for you' promise seriously?" Steve asked.

Lowri smiled, "I never promised that." She pointed out. She put her card down and the waitress took it away.

"But you still took a bullet for me." Steve said.

"Well, as I've said before. I heal faster than you. If you were shot, you'd be in a hospital." Lowri said, she shrugged her shoulders. "It's simple logic, really."

She got her card back and they got up to leave, they headed for a small bar and the drinks began rolling in. They were in the bar for hours, talking about pretty much anything that came to mind and it was late when they eventually left.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading, I'll update next week!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Wednesday, my lovely readers!**

 **I want to thank** _alliesmiley2_ **and a guest for leaving reviews, thank you so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"It's a very long story." Lowri said, "In 1946, Howard was labelled as a traitor of the United States." She began, she told the story while their food was cooked, served and as they ate._

 _She told him how she and Peggy tried to clear Howard's name when he was labelled a traitor, how both of them worked from within the SSR, therefore, being traitors as well. But from Lowri's own fault, she was caught and when they searched her room at the Griffiths, they found the dog-tags and connected the dots._

 _"So, one of them caught up with me eventually, his name was Daniel Sousa and he was a lovely chap. Married Peggy in the end and he threatened to shoot me if I tried to run, which of course I did and he actually shot me."_

 _"Well, that's certainly interesting." Steve said as he wiped his mouth, he watched her carefully._

 _"My life has always been interesting." Lowri said with a knowing smile. "Keeping your dog-tags reminded me of a time that changed my life, for good and bad."_

 _"Hopefully it's all good." Steve said before Lowri called for the check. "You don't have to pay, Ri. It was my choice to come here."_

 _"It's not the 40's anymore, Steve. Think of what you've done for me and let me pay."_

 _Steve sat back in his chair and laughed. "Just remember, how many people actually take their 'I'll take a bullet for you' promise seriously?" Steve asked._

 _Lowri smiled, "I never promised that." She pointed out. She put her card down and the waitress took it away._

 _"But you still took a bullet for me." Steve said._

 _"Well, as I've said before. I heal faster than you. If you were shot, you'd be in the hospital." Lowri said, she shrugged her shoulders. "It's simple logic, really."_

 _She got her card back and they got up to leave, they headed for a small bar and the drinks began rolling in. They were in the bar for hours, talking about pretty much anything that came to mind and it was late when they eventually left._

* * *

Steve offered her a place to sleep since his apartment was closer to hers and she was getting really sleepy. She accepted and they finally headed to his home.

After pulling up and stashing away the helmets for the final time that night, Lowri's phone rang.

"I'll be up in a minute." Lowri said as she pulled the phone out and spied the caller. Steve nodded his head and walked into the building with his shield on his arm.

Lowri pressed the phone to her ear and answered.

"Hey." Lowri said.

"Hey there, how's your wrist?" Nat asked, Lowri looked down at her arm and wriggled her fingers. "Is it healed yet? Still hurting?"

"Can't feel it anymore, but it does tingle every so often. But I think it's fine, it's healing anyway." Lowri said, she looked up from her arm. "Anyway, don't feel like you need to check up on me and worry, because both you and I know I heal quickly."

"I know, but I still feel bad. It is sort of my fault that you got hurt in the first place. What has Steve said about it all?" Nat asked.

"Nothing. He's had a long day. I've kept him busy." Lowri said, "We went to the Smithsonian after getting out of our gear, so he's had a lot on his mind."

"Are you still with him? It's like what, gone midnight?" Nat asked.

"Yeah. I'm staying at his place for the night." Lowri said.

"And he hasn't said anything all day about it? I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing." Nat said.

Lowri was getting tired of telling Nat not to worry.

"Look, Nat, you'll have to speak to Steve about this. I'm knackered and I'm falling asle-" Lowri began but she was cut off when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She yanked the phone away from her ear and she turned, relaxing when she saw Steve standing in front of her, a panicked look in his eyes. Lowri covered the mouth piece of her phone.

"What's the matter?" She asked urgently.

"I think there's someone in my apartment." Steve replied quickly.

Lowri brought the phone back to her ear and uncovered the mouthpiece.

"I'm gonna have to go. Something's come up." Lowri said quickly before hanging up. Nat tried to question what was wrong when she caught onto Lowri's urgent tone but Lowri hung up and slid her phone away. "What makes you think that someone's in your apartment?"

"I spoke with my neighbour as she was coming out of her apartment, she said that the radio had been on for a little while. I listened at my door and I heard music playing. Someone's in there." Steve said seriously.

Lowri pressed her lips together and followed Steve around the back of the building where the fire escape was.

"So, what's your plan, Steve?" Lowri asked as she followed him. They stopped at the fire escape and both looked up.

The ladder was high up to stop random people climbing them, Lowri could reach it if she flew up, but not right now.

"We get in and neutralise the threat. If there's one." Steve said, he took a few steps backwards and then launched himself at the fire escape. He grunted as he caught onto the bottom and pulled himself up, he got himself standing up right, turned and reached down for her hand.

She smiled to herself as she took his hand and he effortlessly pulled her up onto the metal grid beside him. He turned his body to meet her and looked right into her eyes as he set her on the fire escape, holding her body to his with a hand in the small of her back.

She liked the feeling of his hand pressed in the small of her back, it gave her a sense of security which she liked, she could feel the edges of his shield dig into her back, adding to the security. But there were more pressing matters at hand and there was no time for romance, no matter how much she wanted it.

"Uh, we're supposed to be sneaking into your flat." Lowri reminded him in a small voice.

"Right." Steve's eyes widened in realisation and he dropped his hands from her. "Yeah." He turned away from her awkwardly and began his way up the metal steps.

Lowri smiled to herself as she followed him up the steps, they stopped about three quarters of the way up, Steve held his hand up in a 'stop' sign and turned to her with his finger pressed to his lips.

Adrenalin began coursing through her veins and her heart pounded in anticipation for the unknown.

Steve slid the window open from the outside quietly and they could both hear the 40's music playing throughout the apartment. Steve slipped in first and Lowri followed suit, she landed on both feet lightly. She looked around, they were in his bathroom, Steve looked back at her and they shared a look, the one that they have during their mission.

Steve led the way out of the bathroom and down the corridor on light feet, Lowri was a few paces behind him, treading carefully. The music seemed to be emitting from the living room so that's where they headed.

He held up his shield in front of him, he held his hand up to Lowri to make her stop and slowly, he peered around the corner, froze and then he stepped around the corner and relaxed.

Lowri looked at Steve's back with confusion in her eyes.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said carefully, he leant against the wall and Lowri's eyes narrowed.

There was a pained grunt, followed by an answer. "You really think I need one?" the voice was so familiar.

Lowri stepped forwards and around Steve, her eyes locked on the figure slumped in the chair in the shadows.

"My wife kicked me out." Nick said slowly, he looked from Steve to Lowri. She looked him over. He was hunched over to the side. Something big happened to him today, someone attacked him.

"I didn't know you were married." Steve said slowly.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." Nick replied, he shifted in his seat comfortably.

"I know, Nick." Steve said sharply. He reached over and snapped the main light on but Nick held up one bloody hand quickly and turned the lamp that was by him off. He looked down at the device in his hands and typed something slowly. He turned it over so they could both see the message.

EARS EVERYWHERE.

Steve looked back at Lowri straight away, as if to ask if she knew this place was bugged. Of course, she did. Steve's under S. H. I. E. L. D. protection but he may not know it. Steve sighed when she gave no answer and he looked around, almost defeated.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Nick added. He typed something else onto his device and turned it so Steve and Lowri could read the next message.

SHIELD COMPROMISED.

Lowri paled straightaway. She slumped against the wall opposite Steve and looked down at the ground. How can S. H. I. E. L. D. be compromised? And by who?

Steve looked at Lowri, "Who else knows about your wife?" He asked before looking at Nick.

JUST US THREE.

"Just… my friends." Nick answered.

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked as he placed his shield on the ground by his feet.

"That's up to you." Nick said.

Everything happened at once. Three loud shots were heard and Nick yelled out. Steve dove backwards and Lowri dropped to the floor. Nick fell from his seat and collapsed into a cloud of dust.

Steve darted forward and grabbed Nick, he dragged him away from the shredded wall and into the safety of the kitchen.

Lowri raised her head and peered at the three large holes in the wall and she swore that she saw a flash of silver.

She got to her feet, ducked and darted across the hall and skidded to her knees beside Nick in the kitchen, she looked at his chest and saw two exit holes, spilling blood easily but she was sure there was three shots.

Nick grabbed at her wrist, delaying in her first aid attempts and he grabbed Steve.

"Don't trust anyone." Nick panted, he looked between the two of them and passed the pen drive that Nat had filled with intel from the _Lemurian Star_ to Steve, who looked from Nick to Lowri.

"Nick!" Lowri breathed when she saw his eyes roll into the back of his head. The front door burst open and Steve jumped up. He held his shield close to his chest and pressed his back against the wall, he motioned for her to stay where she was and he waited.

"Captain Rogers?" A shrill female voice came from the doorway. Lowri ducked her head and listened for Nick's breath, she watched his chest rise and fall very faintly and she knew she had to act fast.

A woman came into view wearing nurse's scrubs, blonde hair cut to the shoulders and she held a gun in both hands.

Lowri glanced up and recognized the woman as one of the specialist shadow agents and wondered for a moment, why she was so close by?

"Captain, I'm Agent 13 of S. H. I. E. L. D. Special Service." The woman said, she looked down and almost dropped her gun at the sight of Nick lying on the ground and Lowri kneeling beside him.

"Kate?" Steve asked in a confused tone.

"I'm assigned to protect you." Agent 13 said.

"On whose orders?" Steve asked sharply, he looked down at Lowri with a questioning look as Agent 13 stashed her gun away and got down on her knees on the other side of Nick.

"His." Agent 13 replied, nodding at Nick.

Lowri felt a punch in the gut. Wasn't she enough to protect him? Why did Steve even need protecting? There's no one that can take him on.

Lowri looked up at Agent 13 with a hard look in her eyes.

"Have you got an active link with S. H. I. E. L. D.?" Lowri asked, she dropped her eyes to Nick. "GSW, lost at least a pint of blood and wounds are still open." She said without looking.

Agent 13 relayed all the information back through her contact on the other end of the radio link.

Lowri rolled Nick onto his side into the recovery position and quickly got to her feet, she began rooting through the doors, looking for paper towels or tea towels.

" _Do we have a 20 on the shooter_?" The dispatcher asked.

"Tell him, I'm in pursuit." Steve answered. Lowri turned back to him with wide eyes as he passed. He gripped her hand as he walked past, making it look to Agent 13 that they were holding hands but in reality, he passed her the pen drive.

He left with his shield quickly and Lowri ripped the triangular bandage from her shoulder and rooted through the draws again. She grabbed the tea towels and dropped to her knees again and began padding the GSWs on Nick's body to try and staunch the bleeding.

"Is he always that crazy?" Agent 13 asked, gesturing to Steve who jumped out of the window to chase the shooter.

"You get used to it after a few years." Lowri replied, she was busy pressing the tea towels on Nick. "What's your name?"

"Sharon." Agent 13 replied.

"Lowri. Hold these towels to his chest." Lowri instructed. "How long until the medic team gets here?"

S. H. I. E. L. D. may be compromised but Lowri must act as though she was none the wiser to the entire thing.

"They said five minutes." Sharon replied quickly, she held the tea towels to the front of Nick's body while Lowri held towels to his back.

Finally, the medic team arrived and they took over from Lowri and Sharon after Lowri explained the situation of how Nick had been shot three times but one was still inside him.

They carted him off to the nearest hospital and Sharon disappeared as soon as Nick was gone, leaving Lowri feeling exhausted and alone in Steve's trashed flat.

Steve wasn't back yet and Lowri felt uneasy and strangely alert. She busied herself by cleaning up the bits of plaster from the floor and then she cleaned up all the blood until the apartment was in some sort of order. When the apartment was clean, she took a seat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and waited for Steve to come back with her head in her hands.

The pen drive was safely tucked away in her pocket, making her wonder what on there that made it in such a high demand.

Why had Nick been targeted twice in the same day? And by who? Who has the abilities to sneak their way into such a complex and well protected organisation such as S. H. I. E. L. D. and how could they have done it? There's so many layers to S. H. I. E. L. D. that it would take decades to unfold and work their way in.

"The shooter," Lowri spun and slid from her chair as soon as she heard the deep voice behind her. Her body was tense but she relaxed when she saw that it was Steve. He stood, leaning against the doorway leading to the kitchen and he looked at her with a tired look in his eyes.

Lowri stepped towards him with her hand reached for him.

"He's fast and strong… but…" Steve let his words trail off as he took her hand and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest, relieved that he was still alive.

"But what?" Lowri asked quietly/

"But he has a metal arm." Steve said. Lowri's breath caught in her throat and her body tensed up but she tried to shake it off. Steve felt her freeze though and he looked down at her.

"What is it?" Steve asked, he stepped back and looked down at her.

"Nothing. We should be going to the hospital. Nick was shot three times." Lowri said quickly, she stepped away from him and rubbed at her eyes. "Looks like tonight ain't gonna be easy."

"Yeah, uh. Let's go." Steve said, he turned from Lowri and crossed to the front door. "Do you think there's a chance that he can live?" Steve asked as Lowri followed him.

She breathed out heavily, "There's a chance." Lowri said slowly. They headed out of the apartment and Steve closed the door. "Medicine has come a long way since the 40's." She said.

"Have you still got the drive?" Steve asked, Lowri nodded her head and dug into her pocket, she pulled it out and Steve took it back.

Lowri barely remembers climbing onto the motorcycle again. Her mind was reeling. The metal arm. The Winter Solider is more than a ghost story like others claim him to be. She knew him to be real.

Steve stopped the motorcycle and pulled her with him as they hurried through the halls and corridors until they reached a private viewing room, overlooking an operating theatre.

There was a couch running along the back wall by the door, looking towards the one-way mirror looking into the theatre room, filled with doctors, nurses and surgeons, feverishly working on Nick.

Maria Hill was already there, looking pale and stressed, and anxious. She turned and looked at Lowri and Steve when they entered. Lowri and Maria shared a look, and Lowri guessed that Maria knew something.

"How is he?" Steve asked, he let go of Lowri and headed for the one-way mirror. Lowri slumped onto the couch by the door, looking blankly ahead of her and feeling completely exhausted.

"Not so well." Maria said. "They're trying to stop the bleeding and dig out any shells."

"What was used to shoot him?" Lowri asked loudly. "Do they know what ammo was used?"

Maria turned and looked at Lowri quickly.

"Soviet slugs." Maria replied, confirming Lowri's fears. Lowri felt all the colour leave her cheeks and she slumped against the back of the couch.

There was no denying who the attacker was. Soviet slugs were the Winter Soldier's ammunition of choice, if he had the weapon to hand. Nick must have found something out that drew the Winter Soldier's attention to him, enough to make him attack twice in one day.

Maria came over to Lowri and sat down beside her.

"Nick found something out." Lowri began, "He must have. He was injured before Steve and I found him in Steve's apartment. He was targeted."

"He's a ghost, Ri. The person you're thinking of is a ghost." Maria said quietly, she glanced at Steve in case he heard but he was too intent on Nick. "There's no way that it's him."

"Then how do you expect the metal arm? He's fast and strong?" Lowri asked, "That's what Steve said when he came back."

"It can't be true." Maria said, she refused to believe that the Winter Soldier was real. Maria got to her feet and left Lowri on the couch.

The next half an hour was excruciating as Lowri picked up on hushed conversations between those working on Nick, and a horrible beeping noise coming from the machine keep Nick alive.

Lowri got to her feet when she had the feeling that the atmosphere inside the theatre had changed. She stepped up to the one-way mirror and looked in, horrified to see the situation worse than she expected.

Things went downhill too quick for her liking. She gripped onto the ledge in front of her and watched with horror in her eyes as the surgeons and nurses tried their best to stabilise Nick as his heart rate dropped considerably and the bleeping went mad.

"Nick." Lowri whispered. Steve reached his hand over and placed his hand over hers gently.

Minutes ticked by but the fight for Nick's life was being lost. The head surgeon, leading the surgery, ordered everyone to stand back and he got the defibrillator ready.

He counted down loudly and pressed them to Nick's chest, but nothing happened. There was still no pulse. The power was upped and they tried once more but the result was the same, no pulse.

Lowri felt her gut twist when the head surgeon announced Nick's death at 01:03AM and she closed her eyes. She leant her head against the one-way mirror and she felt the urge to cry but her eyes were dry from being awake for so long.

She heard Maria leave the room, probably to take control of dealing with Nick's body. Steve left her hand slowly pulled her into a hug.

"He's gone, Lowri." Steve said slowly. Lowri hid in his arms, and as she hugged him back, she took the pen drive from his pocket and slid it into her own.

She didn't want to deceive him, she can trust Steve with anything, even her life, but she can't take any risks. If S. H. I. E. L. D. is really compromised, she needs to be vigilant.

Lowri stayed in his arms for a long time, allowing him to comfort her. Eventually, she pushed back and looked up at him.

"I uh, I need to get out of these clothes and I need coffee." Lowri said, Steve nodded his head as he looked down at her. "I need something to wake me up."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Steve asked slowly.

Lowri shook her head and smiled softly. "No, no. I'll be fine by myself. I just need coffee and I need to think things over." She breathed out and looked down at her feet. "But, we can still meet up later. Uh, let's say seven? At our usual place?"

"I'll meet you there." Steve said, he made to let her go but Lowri wrapped her arms around his waist and held on fiercely, she wanted to make the hug last longer. At first, Steve was surprised but he wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her in his arms.

She smiled against his chest and then stepped away from him, dropping her arms.

"I'll see you there." She said quietly. She needed time to think, she needed time to get her head around this new situation.

* * *

 **Thanks again to those who dropped a review, it made me smile!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **This week is brilliant, the weather is wonderful and I've got _three_ days off from work!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Lowri felt her gut twist when the head surgeon announced Nick's death at 01:03 AM and she closed her eyes. She leant her head against the one-way mirror and she felt the urge to cry but her eyes were dry from being awake for so long._

 _She heard Maria leave the room, probably to take control of dealing with Nick's body. Steve left her hand and slowly pulled her into a hug._

 _"He's gone, Lowri." Steve said slowly. Lowri hid in his arms and as she hugged him back, she took the pen drive from his pocket and slit it into her own._

 _She didn't want to deceive him, she can trust Steve with anything, even her life, but she can't take any risks. If S. H. I. E. L. D. is really compromised, she needs to be vigilant._

 _Lowri stayed in his arms for a long time, allowing him to comfort her. Eventually, she pushed back and looked up at him._

 _"I uh, I need to get out of these clothes and I need coffee." Lowri said, Steve nodded his head as he looked down at her. "I need something to wake me up/"_

 _"Do you want me to come with you?" Steve asked slowly._

 _Lowri shook her head and smiled softly. "No, no. I'll be fine by myself. I just need coffee and I need to think things over." She breathed out and looked down at her feet. "But, we can still meet up later. Uh, let's say seven? At our usual place?"_

 _"I'll meet you there." Steve said, he made to let her go but Lowri wrapped her arms around his waist and held on fiercely, she wanted to make the hug last longer. At first, Steve was surprised but he wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her in his arms._

 _She smiled against his chest and then stepped away from him, dropping her arms._

 _"I'll see you there." She said quietly. She needed time to think, she needed time to get her head around this new situation._

* * *

Lowri grabbed a cab and gave the directions for her apartment. Surprisingly, traffic was heavy and it was almost half two when she finally got home. The first thing she did was jump in the shower and then she dressed in a pair of black fireproof leggings, red shirt and a pair of old boots.

She headed into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea before she decided anything. By now, it was nearing four in the morning and her mind was going in over drive to figure out what was going on.

Nick hasn't been the first director to die in the role or in active duty, usually, Lowri was the first point of contact as she was the one to appoint the new director. But strangely, her phone was silent. She is the only founder alive and she has to be consulted but with S. H. I. E. L. D. compromised, it made her think of how bad the situation really is.

After an hour in her apartment, so it was just gone five, she left on foot with a grey jacket wrapped around her waist and her hair tied back into a single plait and twisted up into a bun. She left her car in the garage under her apartment because she knew her car was tracked and she had been spied on. Her car is bugged, her phone is bugged. S. H. I. E. L. D. keeps tabs on everyone, including their founder. She kept up the pretence that everything was normal and that she was going out for coffee.

The pen drive was in her pocket, what was on there that made Nick so worried? Something important is on this pen drive, and Lowri is betting that it has something on who compromised S. H. I. E. L. D.

S. H. I. E. L. D. is literally her baby. She worked so hard with Howard, Peggy and Chester to start it up and build it up. They put so much work into it, not wanting the organisation to end up like the SSR, disbanded but now, now it's been compromised by some unknown and it's eating Lowri up to have let it get like this.

Lowri headed to one of the city's all-night coffee houses and stepped inside, the smell of coffee hit her first.

Next, she noticed the customers. To the right of her, right by the front window was a couple sitting very close to each other. On the left of her, there was a group of four students, eagerly sipping their expressos and working on a last-minute assignment, probably due in this day. In the far-right hand corner, three men and two women were discussing something in low tones, and it made it look as though they were having a meeting before work.

Lowri headed to the till and ordered a large coffee, as she turned to glance around the shop once more, she noticed something was off. The conversations were quieter. She turned back to the till and paid for her coffee and she moved to the bottom counter as a group of seven people came into the coffee house.

She took her order and sat down near the middle of the shop floor and took up one of the free newspapers. Conversation picked up again but this time it was different and Lowri was on high alert. The group behind her swiftly ordered their drinks and then took separate seats, which was odd.

The students hustled out, as if suddenly late for a seminar when it was only just 0530 in the morning and there was no seminars for hours. Those conducting their impromptu business meeting had scarpered as soon as the big group had entered the coffeehouse and the couple in the window were nowhere to be seen.

Oh, and the barrister was gone too.

Lowri peered around the room as she sipped at her coffee, recognising the procedure once used against her in 1946. She felt a calm despite knowing what will be happening in the next few seconds.

One man leant against the counter almost too casually, two men and a woman took seats just a little way from her. One man sat at the front of the café by the door, writing something down, another sat at the back door, leading to the toilets, reading a paper and the last man stood looking at the menu for a long time.

Procedure 971, a simple procedure used to isolate the targets. It's an original procedure dating from when the SSR was up and running, even back then it was rarely used. The men of the New York SSR base had used this on her and Peggy and it had failed in 1946.

By emptying the coffeehouse of all civilians, including the barrister, these unknown S. H. I. E. L. D. agents had completed the easy part of the procedure. All they had to do now was try to get Lowri into custody, if that's what they want with her.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt the chill of anticipation prickle her skin as all seven agents rose to their feet and pulled out their standard issue hand guns, they aimed at her in one timed moment.

Lowri should have felt a panicky feeling growing inside her, or she should have at least showed a reaction, letting the agents know that she acknowledged their presence.

Instead she took another sip of her coffee, debating whether to get up and try to leave without causing injury, or to stay and fight, which is probably what they would want.

If she was going to stay and fight, then she wanted to savour the taste of the coffee because it's likely that it will get spilled and Lowri would need to make a hasty get away.

"Agent Jones." One of the men said, he stood the centremost and seemed to have more authority than the others with him. "If you come with us peacefully, then you will not be hurt."

His accent was different, maybe these agents were from another region, and didn't actually know who she is and what she can do, which is strange.

"Where do you come from?" Lowri asked, she sipped at her coffee and looked at him. "Judging from your accent, you're not from around here."

"We have a few questions for you to answer and if you cooper-" the female agent began but Lowri held up one hand and the woman stopped talking.

"I will not be cooperating with you today." Lowri said simply, she put her coffee down on the table in front of her and she got to her feet slowly, she brushed down her leggings and looked up at the agents in front of her. "You've approached me all wrong, using an old relic such as Procedure 791 is a big mistake. If your boss did their research on me then they would know using ideas deep in the vaults will never work on me."

"And why's that?" The female agent asked sharply, her hand shook slightly as she held the gun aimed at Lowri.

"Because I was there when they were introduced." Lowri answered simply with a knowing smile. So, they had not known who Lowri was. Only that she was their target. "Well most of them. This one actually outdates me."

Each agent seemed to freeze and it was as though no one knew the next step.

Two agents shoved their guns away and ran at her, jumping over tables and chairs to reach her. One came at her from the window, and the other from the counter, the latter got to her first and she stepped forwards to meet him.

She reached for him and swiftly kneed him in the stomach and then hit the back of his head in a place she knew would knock him out and he crumpled at her feet, just as his friend from the window reached her.

As she turned, she brought up her hand and clenched it into a fist, she gave him a sharp uppercut punch to the jaw and when he stumbled backwards, stunned, she swiped his legs from underneath him and he came crashing down hard onto one of the wooden tables and broke it as he fell.

"Don't move! We will shoot!" The female agent yelled, she held up her gun with a firmer grip and Lowri saw that she was no longer shaking. Lowri straightened up and all the agents shifted their weapons to match her.

Two agents down, five to go.

One agent threw his gun away from him with vigour and rushed at her, she grabbed his shoulders and spun him away from her, she jumped over him, shoved him to the ground and kicked the weapon from the female agent's hands, she blocked the two punches aimed at her by the female agent and shoved her backwards, she booted the woman in the stomach, making her fall into some tables and she hit her head hard and fell like a stack of bricks.

Another agent ran at her with a wild look in his eyes and this time, he was a match for her. He punched her in the face repeatedly, splitting her lip badly but then Lowri turned the tables, ducked under his legs and pulled him backwards, he hit his head hard and fell unconscious.

The last two agents standing began shooting their guns but Lowri dodged each bullet and then they heard a sharp cry. Behind her, two of the stray bullets had found their target in the agent that Lowri had pushed away from her.

He collapsed in a pool of his own blood and Lowri took the last two agents' distraction and used it.

She punched one straight in the neck and he fell straight away, the final agent discarded his weapon and managed to get his arms around her, he took her down and while he was still on his feet, he drew back his foot and went to kick her in the stomach but she blocked the kick with her forearm, it hurt like hell but then she used her other arm to jam her elbow behind his knee and he fell like a brick.

Lowri scrambled to her feet and pushed the final agent forward, making him fall faster and he headbutted the table in front of him, and he went sprawling onto his back, unconscious.

She looked up from the unconscious bodies around her and wiped her bleeding lip. She headed to the shot man and grabbed some tissue from the dispensers.

"Hey, who's your boss?" Lowri asked, applying pressure to his side. "Come on, you can tell me. You need to get on the horn with them, let them know what happened. Let them know that you need evac right now.!

"I can't say." The man said quietly.

"Well, I can't stay here holding your guts in." Lowri said, "I gotta go. I'm meeting a friend. But, keep pressure on this and stay still. Call someone to come get you."

The man placed his hands on his side, holding the tissues in place and he looked at her with disbelief.

"Why are you so nice? We just tried to kill you." He said slowly.

"I can't die." Lowri replied, she got up and wiped her bloody hands on her red top. She grabbed her coffee and hurried from the coffee house after leaving a big sum in the tip jar.

Lowri paused in an alley to pull on her grey jacket and she pulled out the sunglasses from the pocket and slid them on, at least with the hood covering her red hair and the sunglasses covering her memorable green eyes, she had a slight chance of hiding in plain sight.

Her and Steve's usual meeting spot is one of those all-night and all-day bars, where they would go to get a few drinks and chat about the past.

It was about a half an hour walk from the coffee house so Lowri picked up the pace and made it in twenty minutes. Each time she took a sip of her coffee, she split her lip and she could taste the blood and coffee mixed together.

Her breathing was hard and it came quickly, what's happening to S. H. I. E. L. D.? Who has the power to issue out an attack on the founder? Lowri couldn't call Steve and let him know of the new situation with S. H. I. E. L. D. she had to meet him in person.

It was nearing seven when she finally reached the all-night and all-day bar, she pushed the door open and the dim music suddenly became louder and filled her ears. The stairs leading up to the bar was dark and smelled very strongly of alcohol but before Lowri could step up them, a hand shot out from the room to the side of the stairs and grabbed her arm.

Lowri was pulled away from the stairs and into a small dark room with an unknown. For a long moment, Lowri was scared that she was being attacked by more agents but then the door was slammed and locked, and then the light was switched on, revealing Steve standing at the door, dressed in all black, with a hostile look on his face.

Something had happened to him too.

Steve stepped towards her wordlessly, his eyes locked on hers, he pushed her shoulders back hard and he kept on pushing until her back hit the wall and he pressed his forearm across her chest, locking her in place against the wall.

Lowri hissed and closed her eyes as her back hit the wall and the cut on her lip split again.

She opened her eyes and found his were still locked on hers, still hostile. He pressed her harder against the wall.

"Why did you take it from me?" Steve asked in a low growl. He meant the pen drive.

"Safety." She answered, leaning her head gingerly against the wall.

"What, don't you trust me?" He asked sharply.

"With my life." She replied immediately. His eyes softened considerably and the hostile look almost went. His grip on her didn't loosen though. "It's others I don't trust."

Steve dropped his hands from her and stepped back, looking down at the floor sheepishly.

"What happened to your lip?" Steve asked, looking up.

Lowri leant against the wall fully and sighed, "Seven agents attacked me in the coffee house this morning. I think they were under orders to either take me in for questioning or if I refused to cooperate, then to kill me." Lowri said, Steve nodded his head slowly.

"I can match you that. And raise you three guys." Steve said slowly, he looked back up at her with a small smile.

"Ten guys?" Lowri asked with a smile.

"In an elevator." Steve said, "Fell something like twenty stories. When I ditched my gear, I thought I lost the drive. Then I remembered that you have slippery fingers."

Lowri shrugged her shoulders, "S. H. I. E. L. D. is compromised and I want to know by who and how." She said.

"Then tell me, what do you know about the shooter?" Steve asked, he narrowed his eyes at her and she looked down, not wanting to answer. "You know something. You froze up when I first mentioned him. If we're gonna get to the bottom of this, we have to be honest with each other."

"He's a ghost story." Lowri said, "Only those who have looked up at the barrel of his gun believe that he is real."

"And have you?" Steve asked slowly.

"Twice." Lowri replied. "He's called the Winter Soldier, only ever speaking in Russian. He prefers using soviet slugs, which means no rifling so he can't be traced." She brought her hand up to the back of her head and rubbed gently, trying to soothe the growing pain at the back of her head. "He's an assassin."

"How long has he been in action?" Steve asked.

"For over fifty years." Lowri said, she leant back against the wall and dropped her hand, wincing and she made her lip split again. "I was his first target. It was when I made drastic changes to the way S. H. I. E. L. D. was run and I took control of the whole thing, Peggy and Howard took a step back and let me and I guess I must have annoyed someone high up in the government."

Steve watched her carefully, his eyes moving from her lips to her eyes every so often.

"The rounds were bigger back then and it hurt a lot more. He failed. But he tried again about two years after that but he must have reported back to his handler that it's really hard to kill me so they haven't bothered since." Lowri said.

Steve looked down at the ground and Lowri pulled out the drive, she pushed herself from the wall and stepped towards Steve, he looked up at her quickly.

"Whatever is on this drive endangered Nick's life. Whatever's on here has data that the Winter Soldier wants or thinks it gives up his identity or something important." Lowri said quickly.

Steve looked her in the eye and smiled softly.

"Let's go see what the ghost wants." Steve said.

Lowri nodded her head and slid the drive away into her pocket. "We need to go somewhere very public, so if needs be, we can get lost in a crowd easily."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Steve asked.

* * *

 **Thanks to those who have read this story! I'll update next week :)**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **I finished a fifteen hour shift at 0700 yesterday morning and I am still knackered! Still, that won't stop me updating!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"How long has he been in action?" Steve asked._

 _"For over fifty years." Lowri said, she leant back against the wall and dropped her hand, wincing and she made her lip split again. "I was his first target. It was when I made drastic changes to the way S. H. I. E. L. D. was run and I took control of the whole thing, Peggy and Howard took a step back and let me and I guess I must have annoyed someone high up in the government."_

 _Steve watched her carefully, his eyes moving from her lips to her eyes every so often._

 _"The rounds were bigger back then and it hurt a lot more. He failed. But he tried again about two years after that but he must have reported back to his handler that it's really hard to kill me so they haven't bothered since." Lowri said._

 _Steve looked down at the ground and Lowri pulled out the drive, she pushed herself from the wall and stepped towards Steve, he looked up at her quickly._

 _"Whatever is on this drive endangered Nick's life. Whatever's on here has data that the Winter Soldier wants or thinks it gives up his identity or something important." Lowri said quickly._

 _Steve looked her in the eye and smiled softly._

 _"Let's go see what the ghost wants." Steve said._

 _Lowri nodded her head and slid the drive away into her pocket. "We need to go somewhere very public, so if needs be, we can get lost in a crowd easily."_

 _"Then what are we waiting for?" Steve asked._

* * *

Sitwell pushed open the doors to the control room with a serious look on his face and a commanding posture ready in place.

"Eyes here." He called, he came to a stop just in front of the big screen monitors hanging high on the wall and turned to the large group of agents in front of him, all behind desks. "Whatever your op is, bury it." He ordered, two images came up on the screen above him, one was a mug shot of Steven Rogers and beside that, was a mug shot of Lowri Jones. "This is a Level One. Contact D. O. T. All traffic lights in the district go red. Shut down all runways at BWI, IAD and Regan."

At this, some agents turned from him and began to jot down notes and murmur to each other when they saw the two most notable faces on the screens. Others began following his orders and began the process of shutting down airports and traffic lights.

"All security camera in the city go through this monitor right here." Sitwell continued, he pointed to the monitor hanging above him. "Scan all open sources, phones, computers, PDAs. Whatever. If someone tweets about either of these two, I want to know about it." Sitwell commanded.

He turned to leave the agents to their work but one agent spoke up.

"With all due respect, sit." Agent 13, Sharon Carter, began. All eyes swivelled to her as she spoke. "If S. H. I. E. L. D. is conducting a man hunt for Captain America and Agent Jones, we deserve to know why."

"Because," Alexander Pierce began as he strode into the control room and immediately commanded everyone's attention. "Captain Rogers lied to us. Agent Jones failed to divulge information regarding her plans for S. H. I. E. L. S.'s future and on current events. Both of them have information regarding the death of Director Fury." Alexander Pierce said, he looked around at the agents. "As difficult as this is to accept, Captain America and Agent Jones are fugitives from S. H. I. E. L. D."

Lowri used her remaining cash to buy new outfits for them both, she wore a pair of grey jeans, a white ACDC t-shirt, white trainers and a dark green jacket with the hood up to over her hair and her aviators were clipped onto the front of her shirt.

Steve wore a pair of ridiculous shoes, dark blue jeans, a red and white t-shirt, a blue jacket and a green light coat. He also wore a pair of hipster glasses with plastic frames and a black baseball cap.

They strode through the mall, now dressed like every other young person in the mall, walking right for the Apple Store.

"There's a few rules that you should know about going on the run." Lowri said as she looked right ahead of her.

The mall was busy thankfully, which meant that it was easier to blend in.

"And I'm guessing you're an expert on every single one of them?" Steve asked in a low and joking tone.

"Well, the rules might be a little out of date but I'm sure they haven't changed that much." Lowri said, "So yes, I'd like to think so."

They stepped onto the escalator and headed upwards.

"Rule number one, going on the run doesn't necessarily mean that you actually run. That would just attract unwanted-attention to you." Lowri said, she smiled at him as they headed into the Apple Store.

"Well, if I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off." Steve muttered as they walked right up to one of the newer models of an Apple laptop, she closed down all the other windows and pulled out the drive.

"Now, I reckon this has a level six homing programme, so it'll give us a nine-minute window to mess around with. Those at S. H. I. E. L. D. will be notified as soon as I plug this thing in." Lowri warned. Steve nodded his head once and Lowri inserted the drive into the laptop and immediately began the process of hacking into the software.

"Nine minutes." Steve groaned.

"Hush." Lowri muttered, her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed in one command after another, trying very hard to break into the software that seemed able to counter-command everything she did. "Damn. There's some sort of AI, uh, artificial intelligence, protecting these files. It keeps rewriting itself to get around my commands."

"Can you override it?" Steve asked, he stepped a little closer to her and leant over her shoulder, his chest brushing the back of her shoulder. She didn't mind.

"I think so." Lowri said, "Stark gave me a few tips after he broke into the SSR security system in 1946, which was apparently the same as the White House's security system." Lowri said.

"I'm guessing that was Howard then." Steve noted.

"You betcha. And Tony has given me a few tips over the years." Lowri said, "Anything I do is being counter-commanded by the AI. I'm gunna run a background tracer instead, maybe I can find out where this programme came from and we can go from there." Lowri bit down on her bottom lip as she felt his eyes on her.

"Can I help you guys with anything?"

Both Steve and Lowri snapped their heads up and looked, bracing. Steve automatically stepped around Lowri in an attempt to protect her from any danger, edging towards the man who had asked. He's one of the Apple Store colleagues, not a dangerous S. H. I. E. L. D. agent.

He wore a dark blue t-shirt with an Apple ID card hanging around his neck. He smiled widely at them both.

Steve clearly wasn't saying anything and the Apple Store guy was eyeing him warily, Lowri took her hands off the laptop and twisted her body so she leant against Steve as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

She smiled up at him, which made the Apple Store guy smile too. Lowri felt Steve's muscles under her hands.

"Oh no, that's alright." Lowri said, laying on her American accent thickly, she glanced up at Steve, aiming for an attempt of an adoring look. "My fiancé and I were just looking at some honeymoon destinations. We're getting married in three weeks." Lowri allowed herself to lean against him properly and Steve's arm went around her shoulders instinctively, holding her closer.

Steve seemed a little shocked at her words and Lowri squeezed him a bit tighter to encourage him.

"Yeah," Steve said slowly, "We're getting married." He added, he sounded happy which was good. It fell in with his character. He relaxed in her arms and Lowri brought them back, she turned back to the computer, happy to see the tracer was almost complete.

"Congratulations. Where are you guys thinking of heading?" The Apple Store guy asked, he tried to look at the screen but Steve leant in closer next to Lowri and blocked his view completely.

"Uhh, New Jersey." Steve answered.

"Oh," The Apple Store guy said slowly, he narrowed his eyes at Steve and for a fleeting moment, Steve was worried that he had been recognised. "I have the exact same pair of glasses."

"You two could totally be twins." Lowri said, faking her shock.

"Yeah, I wish." The Apple Store guy said, "Specimen." He added, gesturing to Steve. "Uh, if you guys need anything, I've been Aaron." The man said before stepping away.

"Thank you." Steve said, he waited a few seconds for the guy to put space between them and him before turning back to Lowri and leaning closer with a hand on the desk beside the laptop. "You were right. No one recognised us in these ridiculous clothes. You're good."

"Thank you." Lowri said, she glanced up at him with a flirtatious grin before looking back at the laptop screen.

"You said nine minutes." Steve said, "Come on."

"Patience." Lowri said gently, she wore a triumphant smirk on her face as she leant back. "And done." Her smirk fell from her face when she spied the words _Wheaton, NJ_ on the screen, she paled. "Shit."

"Language." Steve muttered. He looked at the words on the screen and sighed, he took the drive from the laptop as Lowri shut down all the windows on the laptop and then set it to factory reset. "Let's go."

Lowri turned from the laptop the same time as Steve and they fell into step with each other as they left the store, Lowri pulled the hood further over her hair and Steve tugged his cap down over his eyes.

Steve's height was an advantage for them both, he can scout for anything they should be worried about but he as soon as he popped his head up, he ducked his head down straight away.

"Standard tag-team. Two behind, two across and two coming straight at us." Steve said, he looked at her, "If they make contact, I'll engage and you take drive, hit the escalator to the metro and get as close to New Jersey as you can." He tried to pass the drive over to her bur she ignored it.

"Put it away before you drop it and take my hand." Lowri ordered. She looked up at him quickly.

"What?" Steve asked, slightly bewildered.

"Take my hand and lean in." Lowri ordered, Steve slid the drive into his pocket and grabbed her hand. She pulled him down just as the two agents walking towards them passed by without noticing them.

Steve turned his head and looked back quickly before Lowri tugged his hand harder and he looked back at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Rule number two, never look back." She said quietly, she pulled him with her, heading for the escalator. She let the comment sink in.

Lowri looked ahead of them with a bored expression on her face but she was keeping an eye out for any more agents. Just to the left of them, heading up the escalator and scanning the area around them was Rumlow. He would definitely recognise them, regardless of what disguises they wore.

She turned and looked up at Steve urgently, all of his attention was on her the moment he looked down at her.

"Kiss me." Lowri said quickly. Steve looked down at her with complete bewilderment and she could sense the urgency building up. Steve was taking too slow to react so Lowri placed a hand on his sleeve, reached up with her other hand and cupped his cheek.

At this, he leant down automatically to meet her as she went on her tip-toes to kiss him. Their lips met and it was as though fireworks exploded between them. Two years of flirting and squashed passion was coming to light. He reached for her waist, pulling her against him and she gripped onto his sleeve.

Lowri pulled back from him as they neared the bottom of the escalator, she smiled up at him almost coyly as she realised that they had long since passed Rumlow.

She dropped her hand but Steve reached for her and grabbed her hand as they got off the escalator and headed for the exit, Steve hurriedly hot-wired a car and they drove out of the parking lot with no further incidents.

Once they were safely out of the mall parking lot and on the road in their borrowed car.

"How did you get so good with technology?" Steve asked, he glanced at her for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road.

Lowri pressed her lips together and sat up a little straighter.

"I think it might have been the time that Nick broke into my office and replaced my ancient computer with one of the all singing and dancing models. And, when I spent time with a woman training to be an agent, she's a hacker and a good one. She gave me some tips." Lowri said.

"How long ago was that?" Steve asked.

"What, the training? Or Nick breaking into my office?" Lowri asked.

"Nick breaking into your office." Steve said with a laugh.

"About five years ago, I think." Lowri said, "Nick wasn't happy that I was using the old computer in all of S. H. I. E. L. D. so, he broke into my office, replaced my computer with a new one and transferred all my data over."

"What did you do?" Steve asked with a smile on his face.

"I wanted to throw the new computer out of my office window but instead I went down to Nick's office to shout at him." Lowri said.

"But did you keep the new computer?" Steve asked.

"I had to. Nick threw my old one out." Lowri said with a laugh. She leant back in her seat, "I guess I've fought against every change thrown at me but I accepted this one far too quickly."

"I would have thought you would have adjusted to the times? I mean, you've been alive for how long…?" Steve asked, he glanced at her again.

"Nice try, Steve." Lowri said, she looked at him and they locked eyes. "Hey, eyes on the road." She laughed. "And no, I really haven't. I hate change. It's unsettling how often change comes around."

"Why is that? You've lived for so long, you should be used to change. You've lived through them." Steve said.

"I've lived through them, but I haven't liked them. I don't know, I've never liked change, even before I became this." Lowri said slowly.

"Now that's strange." Steve noted.

"Are you calling me strange?" Lowri asked with a teasing smile, she looked at him with laughter in her eyes and he glanced at her.

"Maybe." Steve said, Lowri let out a laugh. "Oh, you can't be offended by it!" Steve laughed.

"I'm not!" Lowri replied.

"You're able to control fire, any fire, and you can't age. You won't even tell me how old you really are-" Steve said.

"That's because it's a big number." Lowri said, "You might freak out when I tell you."

"I won't freak out." Steve promised.

"Are there anymore strange things you want to point out?" Lowri asked humorously.

Steve pursed his lips and looked ahead of him, he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel, as if in thought.

"No, I don't think so." Steve said and then he laughed again.

Lowri shook her head and smiled as she looked ahead, she pulled her jacket off and tossed it onto the back seats and put her aviators on the dash board in front of them.

"Why did you tell that guy that I was your fiancé back in the store?" Steve asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Oh," Lowri said, she looked over at him. "It was the first thing that came into my head in that moment." She answered.

"I think we were convincing as an engaged couple." Steve admitted.

"Yeah, I think so too." Lowri said, she nodded her head as she looked forward once more. "I reckon it's because all of the time you've forced me awake early to go on runs."

"You're gonna be thankful that you can run fast and far one day, Ri." Steve replied quickly.

Lowri leant back in her seat and stretched out while she yawned.

"Someone's a bit tired." Steve noted with a smile.

Lowri looked over at him as her muscles relaxed.

"You've had more sleep than me." Lowri noted, "And you've got that serum to thank because you're not tired."

"That, and I get to sleep at a good time like a normal person." Steve smirked.

Lowri rolled her eyes at him but he didn't see her.

"Well, I'm gonna try and nap." Lowri said, she unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed it back by the car door.

"What-" Steve began as soon as he saw that she was taking her seatbelt off.

"Relax, Steve." Lowri said as she turned in her seat. "I'm gonna nap in the back. I can't sleep when I'm sat up." She said, she slipped between the two front seats and settled down on her back at first as she bunched up her jacket behind her head and she tested it out.

"Make sure you get a belt around you. I want you to know that I haven't driven a car in a very long time." Steve admitted.

Lowri opened her eyes and cracked a smile at the ceiling of the roof.

"I noticed that when you stalled four times in a row before we even pulled out of the parking lot. Not to mention that you stalled twice before we pulled out of the parking space." Lowri replied, she adjusted the jacket pillow and settled back again. "Should have let me drive."

"How? You're falling asleep on me, Ri. How could you have driven?" Steve asked playfully.

"Better than you." Lowri mumbled, her eyes were getting heavier by the second and her body began relaxing. She could feel herself drifting off into sleep but just before she finally drifted off, she felt something drape across her shoulders and she cracked one eye open, he spied the soft green fabric of Steve's outer coat and she closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **Thanks to all my readers, I will be updating next week!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **Apologies for the slight delay in updating, I was called into work for 0700 at 0500 this morning and I got in about an hour ago, it's safe to say I'm slightly exhausted!**

 **I wanna shout out to Fin-Fish Jun-Tesnhi (I don't know whether you're gonna love the story or hate it because of some upcoming chapters... :P) & Megadaydreamer166 (I'll take that as a compliment, I hope you've enjoyed the story?)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Someone's a bit tired." Steve noted with a smile._

 _Lowri looked over at him as her muscles relaxed._

 _"You've had more sleep than me." Lowri noted, "And you've got that serum to thank because you're not tired."_

 _"That, and I get to sleep at a good time like a normal person." Steve smirked._

 _Lowri rolled her eyes at him but he didn't see her._

 _"Well, I'm gonna try and nap." Lowri said, she unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed it back by the car door._

 _"What-" Steve began as soon as he saw that she was taking her seatbelt off._

 _"Relax, Steve." Lowri said as she turned in her seat. "I'm gonna nap in the back. I can't sleep when I'm sat up." She said, she slipped between the two front seats and settled down on her back at first as she bunched up her jacket behind her head and she tested it out._

 _"Make sure you get a belt around you. I want you to know that I haven't driven a car in a very long time." Steve admitted._

 _Lowri opened her eyes and cracked a smile at the ceiling of the roof._

 _"I noticed that when you stalled four times in a row before we even pulled out of the parking lot. Not to mention that you stalled twice before we pulled out of the parking space." Lowri replied, she adjusted the jacket pillow and settled back again. "Should have let me drive."_

 _"How? You're falling asleep on me, Ri. How could you have driven?" Steve asked playfully._

 _"Better than you." Lowri mumbled, her eyes were getting heavier by the second and her body began relaxing. She could feel herself drifting off into sleep but just before she finally drifted off, she felt something drape across her shoulders and she cracked one eye open, he spied the soft green fabric of Steve's outer coat and she closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile on her face._

* * *

Steve drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel and occasionally glanced in the mirror, mostly to look at Lowri's sleeping form.

Their normal day together hadn't exactly ended well. Going to the Smithsonian with her had been a nice chance to spend time together, not talking but actually being in each other's presence.

Having pizza together was the most normal thing about the entire day. He was hoping that spending the day with her would make him tell her how he feels.

That he loves her and always has.

But he's scared that her feelings have changed about him. It's been more than two years since he woke up from the ice and she hasn't made a move towards him. Sure, they'd kissed on the helicarrier just after the attack on the helicarrier, but he was so relieved to see her alive that the moment had taken over.

And sure, they kissed less than an hour ago but that was to hide their faces from Rumlow and to distract him. It had worked, but she had made the first move.

Steve is able to face an army of trained soldiers and take them out easily but when it comes to talking about how he really feels to the woman who understands him the most, it's impossible.

She really does know how to drive him crazy.

He glanced in the rear-view mirror again at her sleeping form and a smile came onto his lips. Lowri never looks this relaxed. She was lying on her back with one hand on her chest, the other limp beside her, her face looked so relaxed. She's always too busy to look this relaxed. Her features were calm and clear, making her look as young as the day he first set eyes on her.

Her hair was draped down the side, dropping down into the foot well and he was taken back to Camp Lehigh when he first saw her in her civilian clothes and her hair was down her back and he got into a fight with Hodge over her.

Steve had wanted to run his hands through her hair but he had pushed that thought down because she was a superior office, but now she's a colleague.

When Steve was serving overseas with his team, the Howling Commandos, he had told them about her on the first night because he had been down.

They'd asked why and he explained that he had kissed another girl and the girl he actually likes had seen them. Then he added the bit where he left the necklace for her and Dum Dum Dugan threw a pair of smelly socks at him.

They gave him advice on what to say and do when they returned, they said that she would mellow out but for the first few times back, she was still frosty with him.

When Lowri had been cold with him, he realised how much he relied on her advice and guidance, he missed talking with her and for a long time, he never actually realised that he was in love with her until it was almost too late.

When he crashed the plane into the Arctic, he hadn't thought of the pain that he would cause her, he had hoped that she would move on, marry another and carry on her life without him. He still doesn't know how much he hurt her, she keeps that well under wraps but he wants to know. He wants her to open up to him, to tell him how much it hurt.

Yet, Lowri wears the necklace that he gave to her. That must be a constant reminder of him? Why does she wear it all the time?

It was nearing dusk when Steve finally pulled up in front of the gates of Camp Lehigh. He killed the engine and sat for a few long moments with his hands resting on the steering wheel, simply looking out at the training camp where he spent a week training hard.

The tall gates were rusting away and Steve could make out the outline of some of the newer, modern buildings.

Steve hadn't been back to Camp Lehigh since he rode out of the camp in 1942 with Lowri beside him.

The camp looks different, new buildings were in place but the original accommodation blocks where Steve had stayed in were still in the same place.

Steve twisted in his seat and placed a hand on the back of the passenger seat, he looked over at Lowri. She was now curled on her side, still underneath his coat and it brought a smile to his face. Steve reached over and gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"Hey, Ri." Steve said quietly. "We're here."

Lowri shuffled under his coat and opened her eyes, she sat up with a loud yawn as she looked out of the window. Once she realised where they were, a smile came onto her face and she turned to him.

"We're home." She said as she leant against the backseats, stretching her arms out in front of her.

Steve looked ahead of him again, back at Camp Lehigh and smiled too.

"Yeah. We are." He breathed.

Steve got out of the car first, he looked up at the rusting gates as Lowri righted herself, pulled her jacket on and climbed out of the car, she stepped up beside him.

Both had a feeling of nostalgia, this place brought the two of them together, this place started them off on their seven-year long journey.

"Are you ready, Major Jones?" Steve asked humorously. Lowri turned her head to look up at him with a small smile on her face.

"Do you know how long it has been since I last heard that?" Lowri asked, she shook her head and looked back at the gates. "Sometimes I miss the military life but other times, I don't."

Steve smiled at her warmly. "Let's go in, shall we, Ma'am?" Steve asked, he raised an eyebrow at her and cracked a smile. He stepped forwards with his shield raised and he swiftly brought the shield down onto the lock and broke it clean in half.

He turned back to her, still smiling warmly at her, he offered her his hand as he pushed the gate open.

Lowri took Steve's hand and they stepped through the open gate onto the base together. The base had changed a fair bit since the last time Lowri had been on the base, there were newer buildings in the base and some of the older bunkers had been pulled down. Most of the accommodation billets were still up and looked as though they had been in some use in the recent past but it was as though the camp was deserted.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket with her free hand and began to activate a tracer to pin point where on the base the drive came from but the tracer wasn't picking up on any signals.

Steve was busy checking out the place, taking in all of the changes without uttering a word. The running track was still there, a little more worn than they remembered but it was still there. Lowri's accommodation billet that she shared with Peggy Carter was still there, standing tall and proud.

Lowri's mind was occupied by the same place but a different time. She could remember running on that track at midnight years ago and Peggy had shouted at her for it. Darkness began surrounding them slowly and Lowri started typing in different commands into her phone to try different tactics but nothing seemed to work.

"There's nothing here." Lowri sighed, she took her hand from Steve's and jumped up onto the raised platform, she sung herself up over the railings and held her phone up higher to see if she could find a signal but there was none.

"It's a dead end." Lowri continued. "There's no heat signatures, no waves, not even radio." She turned to look at Steve. "Whoever wrote this file must have used a router to throw people off. It's certainly worked here."

Steve didn't reply to her, he didn't even look at her. He was looking elsewhere.

Lowri spied the bunker that had caught Steve's attention and her spirits lifted.

"Army regulations forbid storing munitions without 500 yards of the barracks. This building in in the wrong place." Steve said firmly, he stepped off in the direction of the bunker and Lowri watched after him for a few seconds.

Lowri jumped over the rails and off the raised platform, she landed on both feet lightly and she followed Steve across the small patch of grass once used as training grounds.

"This bunker wasn't built for storing ammunition." Lowri said as she came to a stop beside Steve. He was looking up at the building but he snapped his eyes to her with confusion written on his face.

"How do you know that?" Steve asked, turning his body to look at her fully.

"Because…" Lowri trailed off, she pressed her lips together and looked up at Steve. "It'll be easier to explain once we get inside."

Steve lifted his shield and brought it down sharply onto the large lock, breaking the hook clean in half. Steve pushed open the heavy door with little effort. He was about to step through the doorway when Lowri shot her hand out and put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Watch for the stairs, they're steep." Lowri said quickly, she stepped around Steve and stepped into the doorway. "Here, let me go first." She added. Lowri stepped forward down the first step confidently and she set both of her hands on fire.

She held one hand in front of her and she held one hand behind her so Steve could see too.

The fire from her hands illuminated the stairs in front of her, giving them both a good view of the narrow and steep staircase.

"Did you see the door just on top of the stairs to the left?" Lowri asked, she glanced back at Steve and he shook his head. "It leads to a decoy room, full of maps and tables and chairs, made to look like a briefing room. The stairs used to be covered with a trap door, covered by carpet. Obviously, over the years someone has torn that up."

"How do you know so much about this bunker?" Steve asked, they reached midway and Lowri looked ahead again, continuing down.

"This place was home for a few years." Lowri replied slowly.

Lowri dimmed the hand in front of her so she could reach for the light switch that she knew was just around the corner by the bottom of the staircase. She found the light switch and dimmed her other hand when the main lights that hung above them illuminated the large room.

Steve stepped down beside her and she looked up at him for his reaction instead of looking around the room. He was shocked.

The walls were a light blue/grey colour and on the far wall was the original S. H. I. E. L. D. logo. There were rows of dusty desks, empty shelves and abandoned chairs dotted around the room.

"S. H. I. E. L. D." Steve breathed. He wheeled around to face Lowri. "You knew about this place?"

"Yes." Lowri said, nodding her head. "This was where Project Rebirth began, so Howard, Chester, Peggy and I agreed that this place was perfect for a new intelligence organisation." Lowri said, she looked around the room with a smile on her face. "This is where it all started."

Steve watched her carefully. "Where was your desk?" Steve asked, he turned his head as he scanned the room, searching for a tell-tale sign of her desk.

"Why do you think I had my own desk?" Lowri asked, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"I dunno. Maybe because you're one of the original founders, so, you would have taken a role which involved paperwork, so you'd have your own desk." Steve said with a smirk. "And you love your paperwork."

Lowri looked up from the floor and smiled, she glanced back up at Steve and found his eyes on her.

"I had my own office." Lowri confirmed with a smile. Steve's eyes widened and he smiled at her almost mischievously. "It was nothing special, not like the one I have now. It was small, square and dark. Perfect place to have candles though." Lowri shrugged her shoulders.

"Where was it?" Steve asked, his eyes scanned the room eagerly.

"That wall over there," Lowri said, pointing to the wall to the right of her with doors lining the wall. "The furthest door down is mine."

Her office had been right at the end of the room, and she liked it like that. She could remember walking down the length of the room, smiling at everyone she saw, she could remember turning right into her office and sitting down at her desk as if it was only yesterday instead of decades ago.

Steve grinned at her before turning away from her, he followed the wall down and the he disappeared into her office. Lowri adverted her eyes from her open office door and she turned back to the large room.

She felt sorrow take root in her stomach as she saw how deserted and sad the office looked. Lowri dragged her finger along a dust-laden desk and signed as she closed her eyes.

She could hear the new agents being shown around by one of the old SSR agents that they had recruited first. She could feel the history seeping through the cracks.

Why must everything start and end in the same place?

"Er, Ri." Steve called out to her, Lowri turned back to him and she pulled herself from her own little world. Steve was stood just outside the open door leading to her old office, holding something small in his hand and an unreadable expression on his face.

He stepped closer to Lowri and she closed the gap. As she came to a stop just in front of him, he held up an aged photograph in front of him and Lowri felt her cheeks flush.

The aged photograph was the one that she had treasured for many years but she had thought that she lost it a while ago. It was Steve, pre-serum Steve. One that she had taken from his personal file the month that he had crashed the plane and disappeared from her life. It reminded her of the man that she had fallen in love with.

"I thought I lost this one." Lowri said, she reached for the photograph. Steve surrendered it to her and watched her for her reaction. "I was gutted what I realised it was gone. I must have left it here after we moved to the new office in New York." Lowri looked at the photo, taking in the skinny man that had made a big impact on her life without realising it. "That was only temporary though, we moved to DC once we found a good place to build the Triskelion."

"You kept this?" Steve asked, gesturing to the photograph in Lowri's hand.

"Of course, I did." Lowri replied, as she spoke, she slid the photo into her back pocket. She looked back up at him, "It's only fair. You had a photo of me so I had one of you."

Steve smiled at her fondly, as if her answer meant everything to him.

Lowri turned away from him and stepped off into the large room, past the desks and abandoned chairs. She led him deeper into the bunker.

Lowri strolled into one of three old storage rooms at the back of the bunker which had held all sorts of paperwork from mission reports, to insurance papers to personnel files, one of the storage rooms had been designated to holding non-dangerous and slightly-dangerous objects.

On the back wall of the storage room was four medium-sized aged portraits with ranks and names under each one.

"Oh, wow." Lowri said gently as she came to a stop just in front of the first portrait. The first portrait was of Chester Phillips, then the next one was of Lowri, then Howard Stark and then Peggy Carter. Lowri crossed her arms over her chest and leant back as she looked up at the portraits. "They definitely got my bad side." Lowri remarked.

These three-people had such a big impact on Lowri's life and she was so thankful that she had met them. Each had their own impact on her life and she's always hoped that she had an equally big impact on their lives too.

"You don't have a bad side." Steve said quietly as he came to a stop beside her. Lowri glanced over at him and smiled gently in reply, Steve shrugged his shoulders and backed away from her.

He narrowed his eyes at something just past the start of the empty shelves and he headed for it.

Lowri turned from the portraits and faced Steve's retreating back, she spied what had caught his eye, a small breeze blowing a cobweb from the side of one of the old shelves lining the walls.

"Do you know if there's anything behind here?" Steve asked as he headed down the small corridor and stopped in front of the shelf in question, Lowri followed him.

"No." Lowri said, she stepped closer to Steve and he looked back at her with confusion on his face. "Not as far as I know."

"Hm." Steve said, he turned away from Lowri and looked more closely at the shelving in front of him.

"I know what you're thinking." Lowri said as she stepped closer to Steve, she crossed her arms over her chest and watched with slight concern as Steve pulled on the side of the shelving and it shifted to the side, sliding almost too easily. His muscles strained as he tugged on the shelf.

"And what's that?" Steve asked, he stepped back from the open gap and stared at the small corridor that led to an elevator.

Lowri's mouth dropped open at the sight of the elevator. She stepped past Steve, closer to the elevator, leaving Steve standing in the doorway.

"That they've been hiding things from me right from the start." Lowri said, she stopped two paces into the corridor leading to the elevator. She looked down at her hands and concentrated her fire there, the fire danced along her hands and Lowri lifted them up.

She heard Steve step after her.

"Maybe they had a really good reason not to tell you." Steve said quietly as he stepped closer.

"No reason is ever good enough." Lowri replied through gritted teeth. She headed straight for the elevator and as she neared, she dimmed one of her hands and reached for her phone as soon as she noticed the small pad next to the doors.

"Oh," Steve said in a defeated tone. "There's a code."

Lowri smirked, "Just because you can't break this lock, doesn't mean that it's not breakable." Lowri said, she brought up one of the apps on her phone and it deciphered the code within two seconds.

 _8539_

The code worked and the elevator doors slid open.

"Glad there's two of us then." Steve muttered as he stepped around her, careful not to touch her burning hand.

Lowri stared at the open elevator. How long has this been here?

"Are you coming?" Steve asked, he held the doors open and he looked at her with concern.

Lowri looked up at him, smiled gently as she broke out of her own little world and she stepped into the elevator, dimming her burning hand. Lowri ducked under Steve's arm and turned beside him. He dropped his arms and the elevator doors closed with a loud ding

Without any commands being inputted into the elevator or any commands being spoken by either Steve or Lowri, the elevator began travelling downwards.

Steve and Lowri shared a careful look but none of them said anything, the elevator was probably pre-programmed.

What was waiting for them at the end of the elevator shaft? Why was it so important to be hidden in a secret room? Did her peers start keeping things from her straight away?

The elevator stopped with a tiny drop and the doors opened with a loud ding. Steve and Lowri peered into the dark room.

"We should-" Steve began but Lowri stepped out of the elevator with her hands out in front of her, ready to set them alight but as soon as she stepped out of the elevator lights above her switched themselves on automatically and illuminated part of the room, leaving the black outer edge look suspicious.

Lowri looked around her, the walls on either side was stacked with old technology equipment dating back from the 1970's and then it was as though the room spread out, but the lights weren't on in those areas.

Just ahead of her was a series of computer screens and huge hard drives powering the monitors, there were huge, thick cables and wires leading out from the sides and back of the computer, leading off to the sides of the room.

Lowri's mouth dropped open as she stepped closer to the computer, she heard Steve's footprints behind her.

"This can't be the source." Lowri said in disbelief.

How long had this room been down here? The foundations must have been laid before the bunker was built. How could her friends do that to her?

Lowri neared the old computer and her eyes scanned over the dusty equipment. She spied a USB port hub with wires coming out of it, attaching it to the computer. Lowri turned to look at Steve, only a few paces behind her, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Do you have the drive?" Lowri asked, Steve nodded his head and dug in his pocket. Lowri held her hand out and Steve pressed the drive into her hand firmly.

"Here." Steve said, his fingertips brushed Lowri's palm and she turned from him quickly, grasping the drive in a closed fist and she tried to hide her blush. That simple touch had sent a shock to her nerve endings, making her almost shiver.

Lowri plugged the drive into the USB port hub and she stepped back as she heard the sound of the computer whirring into life. Lowri kept stepping backwards until she stopped beside Steve, her arm brushed against his but they were both looking intently at the computer to worry about blushing.

There was one big screen with smaller computer monitors on either side and more below. A green glow came onto the screen and it slowly morphed into words, green lettering on a black background.

 _Initiate System?_

* * *

 **I'm not sure if I can wait until next Tuesday to update this story... Let's just see how it goes. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Wednesday, my lovely readers! Apologies for not updating on my usual day, I was a little busy!**

 **I wanna thank PistolHattersButtercup and the guest reviewer for reviewing!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Lowri neared the old computer and her eyes scanned over the dusty equipment. She spied a USB port hub with wires coming out of is, attaching it to the computer. Lowri turned to look at Steve, only a few paces behind her, a look of astonishment on his face._

 _"Do you have the drive?" Lowri asked, Steve nodded his head and dug in his pocket. Lowri held her hand out and Steve pressed the drive into her hand firmly._

 _"Here." Steve said, his fingertips brushed Lowri's palm and she turned from him quickly, grasping the drive in a closed fist and she tried to hide her blush. That simple touch had sent a shock to her nerve endings, making her almost shiver._

 _Lowri plugged the drive into the USB port hub and she stepped back as she heard the sound of the computer whirring into life. Lowri kept stepping backwards until she stopped beside Steve, her arm brushed against his but they were both looking intently at the computer to worry about blushing._

 _There was one big screen wth smaller computer monitors on either side and more below. A green glow came onto the screen and it slowly morphed into words, green lettering on a black background._

Initiate System?

* * *

The words emerged on the back screen in green writing and then the computer spoke the words in a very robotic voice.

Lowri stepped forward gingerly and typed out yes slowly, she stepped back beside Steve and they bumped arms again. This time, Steve looked down at her and they locked eyes, seemingly lost in each other's gaze.

" _Rogers, Steven Grant, born 1918_." A heavily accented voice spoke out and echoed around the room. Both Lowri and Steve jumped at the sound of the new voice.

For the first time, Lowri noticed the aged camera sat on top of the big monitor, aimed right at Steve.

And then the camera moved and pointed right at Lowri.

A face had come onto the screen but it was hard to tell who it was. Both the face on the screen and the voice was familiar to Lowri.

" _Jones, Lowri Lucinda, born 1818_." The heavily accented voice said. Lowri froze. Steve knew that Lowri was older than him but he didn't know by how many years exactly. She had been working towards revealing her age to him but now it's out in the open. She felt him tense up but he said nothing.

"What is this?" Lowri asked, she peered at the face on the screen, hoping to pick up on something.

" _Hello, old friend_." The voice was growing more and more recognizable but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"You know this thing?" Steve asked, quickly turning his head to look at her with questioning eyes.

" _As do you, Captain. I may not be the man I was when you took me prisoner in 1945, Captain. But I am_." The computer said, one of the smaller screens directly below the bigger monitor came to life and an image of Doctor Arnim Zola came onto the screen.

"Oh, my God." Lowri breathed.

" _Yes. Though, I knew you under another name but you are still the same, are you not?_ " The computer asked.

Steve looked down at Lowri, she had already paled, her mouth was hung open and she seemed to struggle her words, but she pulled through.

"You're dead." Lowri said stupidly. "You died just under forty years ago."

" _Look around you, I have never been more alive._ " The computer replied. Lowri blinked rapidly and tried to get a grasp on the situation. Steve seemed to look at her for reassurance, maybe she looked as though she was about to fall over but she wasn't going to let herself be that weak.

Steve looked away from her and took a slow walk around the computer desk, his eyes catching on almost everything.

" _In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis, science could not save my body, but my mind, however, that was worth saving on 200,000 feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain_." The computer continued.

Lowri's mouth hung open again but no words came out. How could this decision be made without her knowing? Steve came back beside her and turned back to the computer and spoke.

"How did you get here?" Steve asked. He wasn't standing as close to the computer but he didn't want to get any closer.

" _Invited_." The computer replied.

Steve looked back at Lowri for confirmation but she was looking down at the floor, she missed his look.

"Operation Paperclip." Lowri said, her own voice sounded weaker but she continued and she looked up. Steve's eyes flew back to her. "After the war, we recruited German scientists with strategic value." She explained.

" _I am Swiss_." The computer corrected her, " _You thought I could help your cause. I have also helped my own._ "

Lowri tensed suddenly and looked up at the computer with a serious look in her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Lowri asked sharply.

"Hydra died with the Red Skull." Steve answered. Lowri paled again, her eyes widened and she took a step backwards, she leant against the side of the dashboard heavily and breathed out. "Are you alright?" Steve asked, automatically turning to her, she nodded her head slowly and pushed his hands away from her.

" _Cut off one head, two more shall take its place._ " The fuzzy head on the screen wavered for a second and then split into two to demonstrate.

Lowri felt sick as she realised that all of her work to create and lay down the foundations of the organisation built up with her friends had gone down the drain as soon as she gave her final say so all those years ago.

S. H. I. E. L. D. had only been up and running for a few years when Operation Paperclip was brought up. Hydra must have been growing in S. H. I. E. L. D. since the start and for a long moment, Lowri forgot how to breathe.

Hydra has been living in S. H. I. E. L. D. for decades. And no one realised.

"Prove it." Steve snapped.

" _Accessing archive_." Images began rolling onto the smaller screens below the bigger screen. Lowri stepped just in front of Steve to get a better look at the images. Firstly, images of Schmidt played out, followed by footage of the Hydra soldiers that had been in his control and then some Hydra propaganda followed by some Captain America short films.

" _Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realise was that if you try to take away that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly_." The computer spoke as the media carried on flicking across the screens.

Images of the newly formed S. H. I. E. L. D. came onto the screen, Peggy, Chester, Howard and Lowri.

" _After the war, S. H. I. E. L. D. was founded and I was recruited. The new Hydra grew, a beautiful parasite inside S. H. I. E. L. D. for almost seventy years_." Footage of Zola with the doctors recruited by Operation Paperclip. " _Hydra has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history didn't cooperate, history was changed._ "

There was an image of a sniper perched high on a building, aiming at a presidential car.

"No." Lowri said slowly, she took another step towards the computer. "How could this happen without anyone noticing? How could this have happened without me noticing?" She asked. Her eyes remained stuck on the screen where death reports of people she knew flashed by. Tears came to her eyes but none fell. "S. H. I. E. L. D. was meant to bring a new age, a safe age for America."

" _Accidents happen_." The computer replied.

Now the tears fell freely down her cheeks as the small screen now displayed a newspaper front page from 1991.

"No." Lowri sobbed. The title was familiar to her, she could remember the day she sat down and read the newspaper. The title read: _Howard and Maria Stark Die in Car Accident._

Tears ran down her cheeks as bits of her last conversation with Howard rushed through her mind, Howard pleaded with her to come home because he had something important to her. Maybe he had known something about Hydra being within S. H. I. E. L. D. Maybe he had been trying to warn her and she had ignored him.

"Howard." Lowri whimpered.

More news articles on deaths and tragedy came onto the screen and then Nick's death report came onto the screen.

" _Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security_." Footage began playing on the smaller screen of security footage from all over the world. " _Once the purification process is complete,_ " Footage of Project Insight began playing across the screens, current footage of the loading stages, the building stages and the planning stages. " _Hydra's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life._ " Now, the screens displayed several newspaper articles and front pages covering Steve's life and death. " _A zero sum._ "

Steve yelled out and punched the big screen hard, the glass screen cracked and shattered into thousands of little shards which sprayed outwards. Lowri jumped back from the dashboard and away from the spray of glass shards, scared at Steve's sudden explosion of anger.

Her mind was reeling. How on earth could Hydra have stayed hidden for so long? There must be agents within S. H. I. E. L. D. who is with Hydra, to keep Hydra alive for so long. So, who is with Hydra? Who would betray her and their country? Who would choose Hydra over S. H. I. E. L. D.?

Lowri looked up at Steve with wide eyes, his chest was heaving and Lowri knew that the moment of being scared had passed. Steve was definitely not a zero sum. He was a hero to the world for all he has done for them and for what he stands for. Steve is more than just a hero to her.

" _As I was saying._ " Zola said slowly, he had moved to one of the smaller screens to the side of the bigger screen.

"What's on this drive?" Steve asked quickly, he pointed at the drive sticking out of the USB port hub.

" _Project Insight requires insight, so I wrote an algorithm._ " The computer replied.

"What kind of algorithm? What does it do?" Lowri asked quickly, she stepped closer to Steve and placed a hand on Steve's arm for stability.

" _The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it._ " Zola answered.

The sound of screeching metal alerted both Steve and Lowri to the heavy metal doors closing over the elevator, shutting off the only exit.

Steve threw his shield at the elevator but it hit the closed metal doors and the shield came back to him. Steve caught the shield as he turned back to Lowri, just as her phone began beeping a warning tone in her back pocket.

Lowri pulled her phone out of her pocket and she saw the alert with a sinking heart.

"Shit." Lowri cussed, she looked up at Steve. "Steve, we've got company. A bogey, short range ballistics, thirty seconds." She said, locking eyes with Steve.

"Who fired it?" Steve asked.

"S. H. I. E. L. D." She answered sadly. Steve turned from her in the next second, Lowri turned too, she grabbed the drive from the USB hub port and shoved it deep into her pocket as Steve yanked up one of the metal grills covering the vents on the floor. Steve turned back to her with an outstretched hand.

" _I'm afraid I've been stalling. Admit it, it's better this way_." Zola said as Lowri ran towards Steve. " _We are all of us, out of time_." Steve wrapped his arm around Lowri and gripped her jacket. He held her close as they jumped into the vent.

Steve raised his shield above their heads and less than a second later, there was a deafening explosion and then everything turned a blinding white and then it all went dark, it was as though the earth had exploded around them.

Steve yelled out as dirt, concrete and pretty much everything else rained down on him and his shield hard. It wasn't just him that he was saving from the rubble, it was her too.

Lowri was pressed with her back against the metal wall of the vent, her knees were tucked up to her chest with Steve poised above her, holding up the shield with both hands. His eyes were closed as he strained against the pressure and all Lowri could do was sit there with her hands pressed to his chest. There had been no time to throw her own firewall up.

Steve was slowly bowing to the pressure of all the debris and by the time the earth had stopped raining down on them, he was close and the space around them was tiny, dark, cramped and incredibly dusty, making it hard to breathe.

As the world settled around them and as Steve worked to get a pathway clear for them, Lowri made a blind inventory of her limbs. She wriggled her fingers and then she wriggled her toes.

Lowri let out a whimper when pain shot up her right leg. Steve stopped what he was doing and looked back at her quickly, alarmed but he could barely see her and she could barely see him.

Steve turned from her and grunted loudly as he moved a very heavy piece of concrete away from the path he had made, giving them more room and orange light flooded in.

"Come on. We gotta get out of here. Someone is probably on their way." Steve said quickly, he turned back to her and reached for her but Lowri pushed his hands away. "Lowri, stop messing around. They're gonna be here any second. We gotta go."

"No, you go. I'm trapped-my leg." Lowri breathed out, she looked up at him. "You go. There's not time to free me."

Now that they could see better, they could both see the large concrete block trapping Lowri's foot. Lowri picked up on the sound of rubble moving and shifting and she guessed it was either just the rubble settling or someone was nearing them.

"Go, Steve. Get yourself away from here. I can look after myself and maybe once I'm taken, I can get some intel on who's working for Hydra." Lowri ordered, she tugged the drive from her pocket and she shoved it into his hand before giving him a knowing look. "Besides, I can't stay away from you."

Suddenly, Steve leant forward and kissed her hard in a desperate attempt to make her come with him.

The kiss wasn't romantic at all. There was dust layering the air between them, fires raged all around them so their nostrils were filled with a burning scent and his lips didn't taste as nice as before. Lowri wanted with all of her heart to sink into the kiss, to let it consume her fully but she was sure she heard actual footsteps approaching.

She pushed him away with one hand. "Go."

"Come back to me." Steve said quietly before getting to his feet.

"I will." Lowri promised as Steve turned from her and he ran, just before the jets flew over with their spotlights on, searching for survivors. Lowri wished in her gut for Steve to escape. He's fast.

Lowri was left alone, she tried to wriggle her foot out but she was met with more sharp shooting pains each time. She could hear men shouting over the burning fires and settling rubble, she knew she would be found sooner or later.

She tried to breathe through the dust and she found herself coughing, which gave up her position quickly. The nearest person to her approached and rounded the corner and then stopped in front of her.

Rumlow.

It was not a welcoming sight.

Rumlow smiled almost sickly at the sight of her, he raised his wrist closer to his mouth, still smiling.

"I've got the Veteran," Rumlow stated, he dropped his hand and stepped closer to Lowri. "You're a little stuck, you can't escape."

"You're so observant, Rumlow." Lowri replied, she tilted her head back to look at him as she shifted backwards slightly. "So, you're fighting for the other team."

"You're observant." Rumlow noted almost mockingly. He slid his gun back into the holster and he offered her his hand to help her up but Lowri shook her head at him.

"Okay, you're not that observant." Lowri said as she shifted again. "My leg is trapped under that concrete slab." Lowri added, pointing to the concrete block trapping her leg.

Rumlow turned from her, quietly cursing and muttering to the speaker on his wrist about an 'Asset', 'concrete' and 'Veteran'.

Rumlow dropped his hand as he stepped back over to her with five men behind him, all dressed in black and heavily armed. Hydra too.

"Don't even think of running." Rumlow warned her as he and the other five men gathered as best as they could around the block of concrete lying on her leg.

"Why would I do that?" Lowri asked as the concrete was lifted, Lowri shuffled back as far as she could, bringing her leg up to her chest. "You so graciously freed me."

Rumlow jerked his chin upwards, gesturing for Lowri to get up. He offered her his hand once more and she took it.

Instead of letting her go straight away so she could get her balance, Rumlow spun her away from him quickly and gave her a shove. She stumbled into the concrete block that had trapped her leg and Rumlow pressed a hand on her upper back, pushing her against the concrete block and she was trapped.

"Ow." Lowri yelped, she wasn't actually hurt but yelping was an automatic reaction to the sudden movement. "Is this really necessary, Rumlow? I've already said that I'm not gonna run."

"I'm not taking any risks with you, Jones." Rumlow replied, he pinned both her arms behind her back, pressing her harder against the concrete block. "You're sneaky and you're quick. He leant on her almost fully and separated her legs with his knee. "And your fire, well, we all know how dangerous that is."

Rumlow's hands were not in the place where Lowri would have wanted them to be, in fact, she doesn't want his hands on her full stop. She felt disgusted and she was relieved when Rumlow tugged her back upright and kept his hands on the handcuffs now around her wrists.

"Where are we going?" Lowri asked straight away when Rumlow wheeled her around and pushed her towards the exit. "You can't keep me in the dark."

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore." Rumlow replied. He wasn't being harsh, but the two of them had run many successful missions together, but she guesses now that he's been hiding half of his true self from her, the half of him that worships a crazed guy who thought he was better than the Gods.

Lowri could see the damage that the bogey had done, more than half of Camp Lehigh was flattened and her heart sunk when she saw it. Fires raged on and spread but the fire department was already on scene. They seemed to ignore Lowri and the others.

The quin jet was parked on the other side of Camp Lehigh, the non-damaged side and Lowri was pushed on.

As the jet rose into the air, eager to get away, men took their seats and Lowri was shoved into one of the seats and held in place by the two men on either side of her. Rumlow produced a black sack to go over her head and she sighed before it was put over her head,

"You're not taking any chances, are you?" Lowri sighed. She wriggled her hands and tried to get comfortable.

"Not with you, no." Rumlow answered. "Oh, and if you're wondering, those handcuffs are treated with a fireproof chemical, so, don't try any funny business."

"I didn't know S. H. I. E. L. D. made these." Lowri said slowly.

"S. H. I. E. L. D. is dead." One of the other men replied.

"Hydra has been collecting information over the last seventy years and we're putting that information to good use." Rumlow explained.

Lowri pressed her lips together and said nothing. Hydra was now in control of the entire intelligence organisation, this is not a good time to be making more enemies, but of course, Lowri has been an enemy of Hydra since Day One.

The jet landed quickly and because Lowri couldn't see where they were, it put her on edge. She was tugged to her feet, pulled this way and that way, and just when her feet began aching and she felt the fatigue hit her, the bag was ripped from her head and she blinked at the harsh bright lights and all white-washed walls.

She's in a cell.

Lowri guessed that they had taken her to some secluded location where she could be hidden without causing too much hassle but she had never seen this cell before.

The handcuffs were jerked roughly from her wrists and she was crudely informed that this was her new home for the unforeseeable future and that the walls and door was fireproof so there was no point in trying any fire business, and then the door was slammed and Lowri heard the door lock.

The walls were all bright white and the lights were startlingly bright too, there was a single bed in the corner with thin blankets and hard looking pillows and that was it. The room was square and with no windows.

And there was a camera in the corner opposite the bed with a little red light on the top, indicating that it was working.

"Would have thought that you'd shown more courtesy to an old woman, only a bed as furniture? No comforter?" She asked, but she knew that she would get no answer. Lowri kicked off her shoes and scooted over to the wall and she prepared herself to play the long waiting game that she knew so well.

Hours ticked by slowly and Lowri was still feeling calm. Being alone gave her time to think. She replayed that explosion in her mind several times, she could still feel the effects on her body. Her limbs were shaking and trembling, her ears were pounding loudly with her heartbeat and if she closed her eyes for long enough, she could feel bits of rock hit her face.

What would have happened if she had gone alone? There's a big chance that she would be buried in the rubble right about now. She feels so thankful to Steve and she wonders how she's going to fulfil her promise to him.

What if she can't escape? What if this place is isolated and only those who are in Hydra are here?

Why did Steve kiss her so passionately? Is it because she kissed him first earlier that day? Was it because he had thought that either her or him, or both, were going to die and he wanted to get just one more kiss in? This was a new record for them, two kisses in one day.

Does the kiss mean that Steve is finally ready for a relationship? Is she ready?

Why is she even thinking of relationship when the world's safety is at risk and she's unable to do anything about it?

Hydra is planning something with Project Insight, do they intend to wipe out a certain amount of people to teach humanity a lesson? To teach them that they need to give up their sense of freedom for security?

Lowri can only hope that Steve can find a way of stopping Hydra from doing whatever they're going to do before it's too late.

How could Hydra have stayed hidden all this time? For almost seventy years? How could Lowri have not noticed? She prides herself being a smart woman with good intuition but yet… she missed the enemy science division infiltrating S. H. I. E. L. D. and what's even worse, is that she could have said no and Operation Paperclip wouldn't have happened, sure, their research would have been set back a few years but then the Hydra problem wouldn't be here right now.

Lowri dozed off after about four hours, she curled up on her side and rested her head on the pillow, feeling rather sorry for herself.

She did feel the toll of past events catch up with her, going into this lengthy and unexpected mission, she already had little sleep and she was sure that since she had survived being bombed, again, she deserved a little shut-eye.

But others don't think the way that she does.

* * *

 **And there we go, the next instalment! I hope you all enjoy :)**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy Wednesday, my lovely readers!**

 **I have to apologise for not updating yesterday, I know this seems like a regular occurrence but I am trying to keep to my word, yesterday I was out of the house from 0600 until 2200, I can't even remember most of yesterday!**

 **Thank you to alliesmiley2 and PistolHattersButtercup for dropping a review!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _What would have happened if she had gone alone? There's a big chance that she would be buried in the rubble right about now. She feels so thankful to Steve and she wonders how she's going to fulfil her promise to him._

 _What if she can't escape? What if this place is isolated and only those who are in Hydra are here?_

 _Why did Steve kiss her so passionately? Is it because she kissed him first earlier that day? Was it because he had thought that either her or him, or both, were going to die and he wanted to get just one more kiss in? This was a new record for them, two kisses in one day._

 _Does the kiss mean that Steve is finally ready for a relationship? Is she ready?_

 _Why is she even thinking of relationship when the world's safety is at risk and she's unable to do anything about it?_

 _Hydra is planning something with Project Insight, do they intend to wipe out a certain amount of people to teach humanity a lesson? To teach them that they need to give up their sense of freedom for security?_

 _Lowri can only hope that Steve can find a way of stopping Hydra from doing whatever they're going to do before it's too late._

 _How could Hydra have stayed hidden all this time? For almost seventy years? How could Lowri have not noticed? She prides herself being a smart woman with good intuition but yet… she missed the enemy science division infiltrating S. H. I. E. L. D. and what's even worse, is that she could have said no and Operation Paperclip wouldn't have happened, sure, their research would have been set back a few years but then the Hydra problem wouldn't be here right now._

 _Lowri dozed off after about four hours, she curled up on her side and rested her head on the pillow, feeling rather sorry for herself._

 _She did feel the toll of past events catch up with her, going into this lengthy and unexpected mission, she already had little sleep and she was sure that since she had survived being bombed, again, she deserved a little shut-eye._

 _But others don't think the way that she does._

* * *

No less than three minutes passed before the only door to the cell opened and natural light swooped in. Lowri heard the door open deep in her mind but she was sure that it was just her mind playing tricks on her so she kept her head on the pillow and her eyes shut.

"Some of us would like to rest too, but unfortunately, the world isn't resting." A sharp voice cut through the haze in Lowri's mind and she opened her eyes in time to see a sturdy looking metal chair be placed down three feet away from the bed and Alexander Pierce stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, looking down at her smugly.

Of course, the representative for S. H. I. E. L. D. at the World Security Council was Hydra.

"Some of us have been on quite a journey since the mission to the Lemurian Star." Lowri said, she pushed herself up and she sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall. "Wish I could sit an office all day, pretending to be busy."

"Oh, trust me, I never stop working. In fact, I've always wanted to pull you into my office to discuss your poor work ethic."

"Well it's too bad that you never had a say in what my work is or was." Lowri remarked, "But enough about me. My life isn't that secret. Let's talk about you."

Alexander Pierce tilted his head at her and then Lowri remembered the camera in the corner. There was probably a mic hidden in the room somewhere and Pierce wasn't going to give up information on him any time soon, but Lowri continued.

"Like how you decided you didn't like me because you ordered for a team of agents to be sent into Russia without the proper equipment and when I flew in and extracted the team, in effect, saving their lives and completing the mission, you felt like a failure." Lowri said, she sat up straighter, "I've been in this game for a lot longer than you, Alexander. And now, you've done something even worse. You've sided with an organisation that would see everyone's freedom gone."

"What can I say? Hydra offers a better world than S. H. I. E. L. D. ever did." Alexander Pierce replied.

"Do you know who killed Nick?" Lowri asked.

"Yes." Alexander said, he looked her straight in the eyes. "I ordered it."

"The Winter Soldier killed him." Lowri said, she was shaken but she didn't let Alexander see it.

"That's the good thing about Hydra, they have countless of assets." He replied almost smoothly.

Lowri pressed her lips together. The Winter Soldier is working with Hydra. Damn.

"Why am I locked up here?" She asked, she spread her hands on her knees and she saw Alexander look at them for a long moment. "I'm not going to set anything on fire, Alexander."

He didn't look comforted.

"You are a fugitive of S. H. I. E. L. D." Alexander said slowly. "You are holding back needed information regarding Director Fury's death and because of your current position, we have stripped your powers back in this organisation, meaning you are no longer able to make choices that will affect S. H. I. E. L. D. in the future."

Lowri wanted to smack him across his head. She wanted punch him in his smug face. But, the camera is aimed right at her and she was sure that the audio feed was active once more.

"I can tell you everything you want to know." Lowri said calmly.

"Then why did you refuse to come with the agents sent to you peacefully?" Alexander asked.

Lowri crossed her arms over her chest. "Because the agents that you sent to me were idiots. They isolated me and pulled out their guns. Do you think I'm going to come peacefully when they hold me at gun point and order me to surrender?" Lowri asked.

"That's what we hoped. They were the best agents that New York had." Alexander stated.

"Obviously, they weren't the best then." Lowri said, "What happened to the agent that was shot? I told him to get in contact with his boss to make sure he got the help. I would have called myself, but I was under the impression that you wanted me dead."

"He has received the help he needs." Alexander said slowly.

"So, what's going to happen to me now?" Lowri asked.

"You are a dangerous woman, Jones. And I can't be sure we can trust your word since you're holding back so much. Most of us are pretty sure that you've been lying through your teeth pretty much your entire life, so we're taking a different approach with you than we did with Captain Rogers, he's not as corrupted as you." Alexander said, making Lowri chortle.

Alexander got to his feet, ignoring Lowri laughing and he knocked three times on the door. The door opened and three armed guards stepped into the room and two of them grabbed her. The third guard held a pair of handcuffs in his hands, ready to slap them onto her wrist.

"What's happening? Where are you taking me?" Lowri asked as two guards grabbed her pinned arms and began jostling her out of the room. She struggled against them but her hands were literally tied.

"As I said before, we are taking another approach with you, Jones." Alexander said calmly. Lowri tried to look back at him but the shoulders of the two men blocked her view.

Panic almost took over her whole body but she managed to calm herself and she stopped fighting back. She knew it was pointless, these two men were stronger than her by far and the guy just behind them looked terrifying.

The corridors were getting familiar but she still didn't know where they were. Eventually, the two guards stopped outside a closed door and the third guard opened the door and she was dragged in.

Inside was metal everywhere. A large metal bed demanded most of the centre of the room and metal shelving bordered the room, holding all sorts of harsh looking sharp objects. She didn't get a good look before she was lifted onto the table and she was uncuffed. She was forced to lie back, one guard held her shoulders down and another held her feet while her wrists and ankles were strapped tightly to the metal bed.

The three guards left her alone in the room filled with all sorts of torture equipment, in the corner of her eye she could see large pliers made for pulling out teeth.

Was this different approach involving torture? Or was their plan to play with her mind and let her think that they were gonna torture her?

Lowri moved her head and tried to see as much of the metal torture gear as she could and the door opened as she craned her neck.

"Ah, I see you're admiring my collection." A woman's voice echoed around the room and Lowri snapped her head to look at the small and slim black-haired woman standing in the open doorway.

"It's a pretty big one you've got. All for show, is it?" Lowri asked almost jokingly.

"It's actually cute how you think this is for show." The woman said calmly, she closed the doors and locked them behind her.

"Oh, I know it's not for show." Lowri said, she rested her head back on the table, mentally preparing herself for the next few hours, which she knew they would be long. "I've been on this planet for long enough to distinguish between fake and real torture equipment."

"Good. Let's get started, shall we?" The woman asked, grinning at Lowri.

Lowri closed her eyes against the lights above her, she brought up old memories of her days before she found herself in safety in London and she knew she would be able to get through this.

The pain shortly followed. It started off with the pliers yanking off three fingernails from her left hand and two from her right hand. With each twist and tug from this strange woman, Lowri grit her teeth and forced back the yelps of pain. Blood gushed from each of her wounded fingers and spilled onto the table underneath her.

Then, the strange woman took away the pliers and strapped a crushing block to both of her feet and slowly and excruciatingly crushed all ten of her toes, while talking to Lowri as if she was a friend.

After crushing Lowri's toes, the woman took a break to have something to eat and something to drink. She was prolonging the experience. Lowri switched off her mind when she felt the woman walk away, that's the only way she could get through this.

After about a half an hour break, the woman came back to her seemingly favourite activity, torture.

First of all, the woman strapped Lowri's head down and then brought the pliers out again, this time instead of pulling out Lowri's fingernails, the woman pulled out three teeth from the back of Lowri's mouth crudely and messily, making blood gush from the open gum. Lowri had to turn her head to the side to let the blood leak out. Two more teeth from the left-hand side of her mouth were tugged out too.

Then the torture stopped, the woman began taking all sorts of samples, she gathered some of Lowri's saliva into a small tube, then she took some blood and scooped some up into another small tube, some of Lowri's hair was pulled out and placed in a clear bag and then a knife was scraped across Lowri's skin to get skin cells.

Then a knife was drawn out and Lowri's right sleeve was cut from her arm, the knife nicked her skin and the blood was ignored, but Lowri flinched at the sharp sting of the knife's blade.

Almost straight after a needle filled with a suspicious looking liquid was brought in front of her face.

"What's that?" Lowri asked after she spat another mouthful of blood out from her mouth. She had been quiet all throughout her torture, she had forced back each yelp, each grimace, each cry of pain as her way of defiance against this woman.

"Oh, it's a very strong anaesthetic." The woman replied, Lowri knotted her eyebrows in confusion and then the needle went in.

"Why?" Lowri asked but almost immediately she felt the effects of the anaesthetic take hold. She felt woozy all over and her mouth struggled to form words. She wanted to fight the anaesthetic but it was too strong for her.

"You can come in. In a few seconds, she'll fall under the anaesthetic, and then she'll be ready for you, Doctor List." The woman said, Lowri couldn't lift her head up to look at the man she had named. "Baron von Strucker, are you sure that this is what you want?"

It was as though Lowri was made out of lead, everything felt heavy and she was slowly slipping away.

 _"So, when are you gracing us your presence again, Lizzie?" Howard asked, his voice had grown older with him, croaking with age but he still had the American charm of his young self._

 _"I'm not too sure." She replied, she glanced around the room and sighed, "Things are picking up around here and I'm not too sure when I can come back. I mean, it was supposed to be a holiday to see my old town, but now they're roping me in to do all this stuff for the town's history, I just can't say no."_

 _"Well, I gotta talk to you, Lizzie." Howard said slowly._

 _"How important is this, Howard? Can't you tell me over the phone?" She asked._

 _"Very important. And I can't. Phones can be bugged, ya know." Howard said._

 _She rolled her eyes, Howard can be dramatic at times._

 _"How many times have I heard that before, Howard?" She asked._

 _"Okay, I know I've used that before but come on, when is anything not important when it's related to me? I'm being serious, Lizzie, it's important that you come back. This changes everything." Howard said slowly._

 _"I can see if I can wiggle out of this town history month thing, but I can't guarantee that I'll be back." She said, the room around her was buzzing with activity and she couldn't hold her focus._

 _"Come on, I'm begging you, Lizzie. Please." Howard pleaded with her._

 _"Alright." She sighed, "I'll see what I can do. I'll try and be back by next week."_

 _"Perfect." Howard said, she knew he was grinning. "Maria will be happy to see you again. And I'm sure Tony will be happy in his own teenage brooding ways. I'm starting to think he will never break out of it."_

 _"He's your son, Howard. Those teenage brooding years are here to stay." She laughed, Howard laughed too._

 _"I think you're right, Lizzie." Howard laughed._

 _They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone, little did she know but that was the last time that she had spoken to Howard because when she boarded the plane to come back to America, to talk to him about the important thing, he was setting off for the road on holidays with Maria, but they were making a detour to the Pentagon, where they'd meet her. And then they crashed and both were killed instantly._

 _She received the devastating news when she landed and she felt the sorrow take hold in her stomach, if only she had listened to him._

Lowri felt like utter crap and she didn't want to open her eyes. Everything was hurting her, her muscles, her bones.

With her eyes still closed, Lowri made a blind inventory of her body. She wriggled her toes and her fingers, pleased that they still moved but a dull pain shot up both her legs and both her arms. One hand was still in pain.

She ran her tongue along her teeth and was surprised to feel three new teeth at the back of her mouth and two more on the side of her mouth growing. They hurt like hell.

Begrudgingly, Lowri opened one eye and immediately shut it. The lights were far too bright for her eyes to handle and she could barely see a thing. Slowly, she opened one again and then both, saddened to see the white ceiling, white walls and white floor.

She's still in Hydra's clutches.

What had they done to her after administrating that anaesthetic? Beat her with a meat hammer until all of her bones were broken?

As she lifted her arms, using almost all the strength she had, she saw new bruises going up and down her bare arms and she just knew that there were more bruises going up and down her body too. When she lifted her left arm, she felt a sharp stinging sensation in her chest and she dropped her arm straight away.

The pain stayed with her as Lowri pushed herself up to a sitting position and she slowly massaged the area where the pain was coming from. It felt strange, as if something was underneath her clothes.

She peered down the neckline of her shirt and saw a white dressing strapped to her chest just a few inches left from the centre of her chest with clear medical tape. She ran her hand over the dressing and pain exploded over her chest.

Lowri leant back against the wall slowly, ready to contemplate what was going on under that dressing but as soon as her back connected with the cool, white wall the lighting in her room was cut out and she was engulfed in complete darkness.

She shot upright and looked around, squinting, she was strangely alert.

For a fleeting moment, Lowri felt as though she was going to get shot.

The door opened for a second and then closed again quickly.

"Lowri?" A hushed voice echoed around the room and Lowri almost sighed with relief but she remembered where she was and what she had been doing recently. Oh, yes, the torture. "Lowri? Where are you? Are you awake?"

"I'm awake." Lowri replied curtly. The voice was familiar… "Maria?"

"The one and only." The voice replied. "Here, there's a change of clothes in here. Get them on. We're leaving."

Lowri took hold of a bag and began pulling her clothes off. She stopped when her t-shirt was half way over her head.

"How do I know it's really you?" Lowri asked.

Maria was beside her, seemingly stuffing the bed with sheets to make it look as though Lowri was still there.

"You got me the job as Nick's right hand. You trained me. Uh." Maria paused, "Kumasi."

"You got me there." Lowri said, she yanked off her top and yelped.

"What's the matter?" Maria asked sharply.

"They've done something to me, I've got a bandage on my chest and I don't know what they've done." Lowri explained, she ignored the shooting pains and tugged her new shirt on over her head.

"We'll have a look when we get out of this place." Maria said.

"You've got a plan?" Lowri asked, she stripped off her trousers, took Steve's photo from the back pocket and tugged the new pair on, she stashed the photo in her pocket again. She pulled on a thick jumper and straightened up.

"Of course, I do." Maria said, "Are you dressed?"

"Yeah." Lowri replied.

"Then let's get out of here." Maria said, she opened the door first, she peered out and then stepped out fully.

Lowri looked out after her and spotted the two helmets on the floor, lying beside two tasers and a pair of hand guns. Maria picked up a helmet first and slipped it on, then stashed a taser and a hand gun away.

Lowri did the same, she pulled on helmet, wincing when she realised it was too tight and stashed a taser and a hand gun away.

"You've been held by Hydra for the last two days and they're making their move today to capture Cap." Maria said, they stepped off together and headed up the hallway. "They're shipping out in about ten minutes so everyone is gonna be busy worrying about this move."

"Good. They won't notice I'm gone." Lowri said with a smile.

The helmets were big, heavy, bulky and all black, even the plastic tint on the protective shield across her eyes were so dark that it was hard to see out of but she picked up on the corridors and doorways and signs, they were in the Triskelion.

"Exactly. Our plan is to slip in and make sure that we're in the same car as Cap. That way we can get him out and away from Hydra." Maria said, "They've sent the Winter Soldier after him."

"I heard about that." Lowri said slowly. "Have you been hiding in Hydra since S. H. I. E. L. D. fell?"

"Yeah. Best to be buried underground than out in the open." Maria said, by now they were reaching the main hall and there was a gaggle of agents, dressed similarly as Maria and Lowri. More agents joined them in twos or threes so they didn't look out of place.

The call came for all agents to move outside and into the cars that was waiting for them.

Maria and Lowri walked together closely.

"Just stay beside me and don't say anything. We're likely to get recognised." Maria said quietly, they slipped into the same car and strapped themselves down with three other armed guards.

The cars sped through the city quickly, sirens began roaring and whispers were passed between agents through the front and back. Whispers about what was after Steve.

Apparently, the asset had started attacking Steve and some of his accomplices in the city and that part of the city was now destroyed. Cars were upturned, some were destroyed but the city was in chaos.

The cars jerked to a halt and agents began filing out with their guns ready. Maria and Lowri followed suit, guns in hand.

Lowri took the scene in around her, cars nearby had smoke rising from them, the whole place looked a wreck but luckily there seemed to be minimum civilian collateral damage. She followed the large group of Hydra agents that had swarmed the place and she lowered her gun slightly as she approached with Maria at her side.

Lowri winced as she lowered her gun, earning herself a curious head tilt from Maria.

"I'm fine." Lowri breathed out quietly.

Her eyes scanned the road ahead of them and straight away she spied Steve on his knees with his hands raised above his head and he looked pale. There was something about him that worried her, it might have been the horrified expression on his face or it might have been the barrel of the rifle pressed to the back of his neck but things clicked into place once she heard Rumlow's words.

"Not here!" Rumlow ordered.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading, I hope you all enjoy!**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Just stay beside me and don't say anything. We're likely to get recognised." Maria said quietly, they slipped into the same car and strapped themselves down with three other armed guards._

 _The cars sped through the city quickly, sirens began roaring and whispers were passed between agents through the front and back. Whispers about what was after Steve._

 _Apparently, the asset had started attacking Steve and some of his accomplices in the city and that part of the city was now destroyed. Cars were upturned, some were destroyed but the city was in chaos._

 _The cars jerked to a halt and agents began filing out with their guns ready. Maria and Lowri followed suit, guns in hand._

 _Lowri took the scene in around her, cars nearby had smoke rising from them, the whole place looked a wreck but luckily there seemed to be minimum civilian collateral damage. She followed the large group of Hydra agents that had swarmed the place and she lowered her gun slightly as she approached with Maria at her side._

 _Lowri winced as she lowered her gun, earning herself a curious head tilt from Maria._

 _"I'm fine." Lowri breathed out quietly._

 _Her eyes scanned the road ahead of them and straight away she spied Steve on his knees with his hands raised above his head and he looked pale. There was something about him that worried her, it might have been the horrified expression on his face or it might have been the barrel of the rifle pressed to the back of his neck but things clicked into place once she heard Rumlow's words._

 _"Not here!" Rumlow ordered._

* * *

Their plan was to kill him, but not here. Not in the public's eye. Of course, Steve is a threat to Hydra so they would want to wipe him off their plate. Maria's plan better included saving Steve. Lowri sighed quietly when she saw Rumlow put Steve in handcuffs. She then spotted Nat looking a little worse for wear and there was a man wearing the Falcon wings and he was made to take off the wings and his eye gear, revealing himself to be Sam Wilson.

The agents holding them captive moved them into a car together and it was either by complete luck or Maria's will that it was only Lowri and Maria in the car with the three 'prisoners'.

Maria had given Lowri a warning just before they had gotten into the back of the car, ' _Don't say anything to them until we're sure we won't be heard. I'll let you know when. We have a time window to get out of the car and into one of our own._ '

Lowri found herself sitting upright in an uncomfortable position but she forced herself to behave as though the love of her life wasn't sitting right in front of her with a forlorn look and almost in tears over something she can't help.

Steve was held down by thick, solid metal cuffs that locked his hands together so he couldn't move them at all, his legs were clamped to his seat by similar handcuffs and Rumlow had the only keys. Steve was looking down at the cuffs holding his arms down, tears welling in his eyes.

Lowri tore her eyes from Steve and looked over at Sam and Nat, Sam sat closest to Maria and he had normal handcuffs on, sitting still and his eyes on the floor. The Falcon suit sat a few feet away on a storage shelf along with Steve's shield and the eye gear. Nat on the other hand, she was squirming uncomfortably on her seat and Lowri noticed the blood coming from her shoulder.

"It was him." Steve began, he sounded defeated and his voice was strained. "He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." Lowri knotted her eyebrows together, trying to think of who he was talking about. She itched to ask.

"How is that even possible? It was like, 70 years ago." Sam protested, he looked up at Steve for confirmation.

"Have you met Lowri and I?" Steve asked slowly. "Zola." Steve said, he looked up at Sam and Nat. "Bucky's unit was captured in '43. Zola experimented on him, I'm sure. Whatever he did to Bucky helped him survive the fall. They must have found him and…" Steve answered, he dropped his eyes back down to his captured hands.

 _Bucky._

Lowri held in her gasp at the sound of Steve's best friend's name. He died in 1945 on the last solo mission the Howling Commandos ran.

"None of that is your fault, Steve." Nat replied, she shifted her shoulder and groaned.

"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." Steve said quietly.

Lowri turned her head to Maria, questioning her and Maria nodded her head. Straight away, Lowri lifted her hands to her huge and bulky helmet and she tugged it off.

"Oh, that's such a relief." Lowri breathed out as she tossed her helmet down in front of her.

All three heads whipped to her and gaped in shock.

"What? Have I grown another head?" Lowri asked, looking between the three of them.

"Where have you been?" Steve asked straight away as Maria took off her own helmet and it dropped to the floor too. She pulled out a small pin and began working on Sam's handcuffs after passing Lowri a laser cutter.

"Who's this guy?" Maria asked.

Lowri began cutting her way through the cuffs on Steve's arms, she was ignoring his shocked look.

"I've been in the Triskelion, but we don't need to go into details just yet." Lowri replied, she successfully managed to free his hands and she moved onto his legs next. "Seems like you guys have been busy, though." Lowri freed his legs and Maria had freed both Nat and Sam as the car they were in rolled to a stop.

"Alright," Maria began, she looked round the car at Sam, Nat, Steve and Lowri. "There's a van waiting around the corner from here." Maria got to her feet and took the laser from Lowri, she began cutting a hole in the floor of the car. "So, we'd best be ready to rock and roll before this guy pulls off. My friend working behind the scenes at trafficking is gonna keep this light red for about three minutes." Maria said, she got back up and booted the hole in, revealing the tarmac beneath. "Let's get rolling." She said before grabbing her bag and dropped down with it.

Nat dropped down next, rolling onto her bad shoulder and she groaned.

Sam went next with the Falcon suit and the eye gear.

Steve looked at Lowri before getting to his feet but he hesitated.

"Go, Steve." Lowri said gently, Steve shook his head at her and looked as though he wanted to protest. "I'll be right behind you."

Steve grabbed his shield, pressed his lips together and dropped down to the tarmac and rolled out of sight.

Lowri followed him straight away, she tucked and rolled out of the bottom of the car, she hit the hard tarmac and rolled away from the car, she spied Steve making a run for it and she followed him as quick as she could.

The van they were heading for was all black and the side door was open, it was similar to the car they had just left but this one was much larger.

The van roared into action as soon as Lowri threw herself through the open door behind Steve, he turned and caught her as she jumped in and Sam slammed the door shut behind her.

Steve landed on his back with Lowri on top of him and she smirked down at him, pleased to see that he was unhurt and that he had gotten away from Camp Lehigh safely. Lowri wrapped her arms around him happily and he gingerly wrapped his around her.

"Lowri." He whispered into her shoulder, she closed her eyes and pressed closer to him slightly.

"I promised that I'd come back to you." Lowri whispered back, she hoped for no one to hear her except for him but Nat heard her and she called out the word 'cheesy.' Lowri rolled her eyes and she smiled down at Steve. "You're not a zero sum to me." She said in a quieter voice.

Steve squeezed her as he sat them both up, Lowri removed her arms from him and turned to Nat who was sat against the van wall, shaking.

Lowri got down on her knees beside Nat and looked into her eyes.

"How're you feeling?" Lowri asked, she reached for the other side of Nat's shoulder and then shuffled around to Nat's other side.

"Like crap." Nat said, "You don't look too good either. Steve said he had to leave you behind. What happened?"

Lowri pulled Nat forward slightly so she could probe the back of Nat's shoulder.

"Same old, same old." Lowri replied.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

Lowri shrugged her shoulders and pushed Nat back. "You've got a GSW, keep pressure on the entry point, that's smaller." She turned from Nat, "Hey Maria, have you got a bit of cloth or something?"

Nat groaned and tensed up.

Lowri quickly turned back to Nat and gripped both of her shoulders to stabilise her.

"Yeah, here!" Maria called from the front seat. Something was passed back and then a thick white cloth was draped over her shoulder.

"Here." Steve said gently, Lowri grabbed it and wadded it up, she tucked down the back of Nat's shoulder and pressed it against the exit wound.

"Lean back." Lowri ordered, she helped Nat lean back against the wall of the van with the cloth padding the wound. "Try not to move."

"You still haven't told us what you've been doing for the past two days." Steve said slowly.

Lowri stayed on her knees beside Nat and she looked down at the floor.

"The S. T. R. I. K. E. team took me in, they're Hydra. They took me to the Triskelion and I was put in a cell and locked inside. They left me alone for a few hours and then Alexander Pierce made an appearance." Lowri said, she looked up as she spoke and she looked at Nat.

"We spoke for a few minutes, snide comments really. He's not happy that I took down some really good agents and he revealed that the Winter Soldier was working with Hydra. But I guess you've found this out without me, eh?" Lowri asked, she turned and looked up at Steve.

"I've been stripped of my status in S. H. I. E. L. D. and I have no more powers to make executive decisions, but when I offered to give myself up, he refused. In Alexander Pierce's words, I'm 'a dangerous woman.' And I can't be trusted because I've been lying through my teeth my entire life." Lowri said.

Nat scoffed loudly and Lowri looked back at her.

"So, Pierce is Hydra then?" Nat asked.

Lowri nodded her head. "Yeah." She said slowly. "He might even be one of the Heads."

There was a silence that settled in the air, she had left off the bit where she had been tortured for good reason. She had no idea what Steve would do if she told him. But she left her sentence hanging, Steve clicked on straight away.

"What else is there?" Steve asked, he sat just behind her she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. Lowri looked up and locked eyes with Nat. "There's more."

Lowri nodded her head slowly. "I was taken down the hall from my cell and I was brought into a room with –" Lowri wanted to think of a great excuse but nothing came to mind. "With torture equipment." Nat's eyes widened. "And I was right in guessing that they planned to use them on me." Lowri took a deep breath in, "But I'm used it. Torture didn't affect me in the way they wanted so after a few hours they injected me with what I can only assume to be a local anaesthetic and continued because I'm aching all over."

"They tortured you?" Steve asked sharply.

"Yeah, the usual, crushed toes, fingernails ripped off, screws drilled into the body, teeth ripped out." Lowri said casually, she shrugged her shoulders but she heard Steve breathe in sharply. "After the anaesthetic, I can't remember much. I heard two names and then I woke up back in my cell just before Maria got me out."

"What were the names?" Nat asked slowly.

"Doctor List and Baron von Strucker." Lowri replied. She sat back on the floor of the van with her eyes to the floor.

"And you don't know what's happened to you while you were under?" Sam asked gently.

Lowri shook her head, "Not a clue. But I've got a dressing on my chest, right by here," She said, gesturing. "And it hurts pretty much constantly."

"Are you alright now?" Steve asked slowly.

Lowri nodded her head, "Aside from the pain in my chest, everything that happened when I was being tortured has either grown back or healed itself. I feel fine." Lowri said, she turned and looked at Steve and found him looking at her with concern and worry deep in his eyes.

The van came to a stop and Maria jumped out straight away. She opened the door and Lowri turned to help Nat to her feet but Sam had already beaten her to it. Sam jumped down and helped Nat down, then quickly hurried her after Maria.

Steve jumped down before Lowri and turned to help Lowri, she let him because he was probably feeling bad for leaving her in Hydra's clutches. His hands lingered on her waist for a second longer and their eyes connected.

"Come on, we'd better get inside." Steve said quietly. He led the way after Maria and Lowri took a quick look of their surroundings. They were at an abandoned dam headquarters, tunnels and all.

They slipped into a tunnel guarded by a gate and as soon as Steve closed the gate behind them, a man rounded a corner and began heading towards them.

Sam had his arm around Nat, supporting her fully with Maria just beside them, Maria looked up as soon as she spotted the man.

"GSW. She's lost a lot of blood." Maria called, the man walking towards them began running quicker. "She's lost at least a pint."

"Maybe two." Sam added knowingly.

"Let me take her." The man called as he neared but Maria shook her head quickly.

"No. She'll want to see him first." Maria insisted. Steve looked at Lowri and Lowri looked at Steve in the same second, both had the same confused look on their face. Who's him?

Lowri looked from Steve to Sam and Nat. How did they get involved in the fight between Steve and the Winter Soldier?

They rounded a corner and Maria stepped forward to push aside an almost transparent plastic sheet to reveal the him she had been talking about.

Nick Fury, the same man who died three days ago. He looked very much alive.

Lowri's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened considerably, what the hell?

"About damn time." Nick said as soon as he saw Lowri and Steve standing in front of him. The doctor stepped forward and took Nat off Sam, he helped her sit down on an upturned crate and he stripped off her jacket to get a better look at her shoulder.

"What the hell happened to you?" Lowri asked, she stepped closer to the bed and placed her hands on the white frame, staring at Nick.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache." Nick answered.

"Don't forget your collapsed lung." The doctor reminded Nick.

"Let's not forget about that." Nick groaned as he shifted in his bed. Nat winced as the doctor pressed two dressing pads on either side of her shoulder in an attempt to staunch the blood loss.

"They cut you open, your heart stopped." Nat said slowly.

"Tetrodoxin B. It slows the pulse to one beat per minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it." Nick explained.

"Why all the secrecy?" Steve asked sharply, he stepped up beside Lowri and stared at Nick. "Why not just tell us?"

"Any attempt on the Director's life had to look successful." Maria answered.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure on who to trust." Nick added.

Lowri shot her head up and narrowed her eyes at him. "That stings, Nick."

"Oh yeah? Try having someone open your chest up. Then you'll know what stings." Nick replied.

Lowri took a small step back and Steve's eyes went to her.

"1837, London. Remember reading that bit do ya?" Lowri asked, her tone was sharp and Nick's eye widened. She turned from him and pushed past the transparent plastic sheet, Nick's words had hurt her. He knew what she has been through and his careless words stung deeply.

Lowri turned right and stepped out into the large corridor that led to the gate but instead of heading for the gate, a sudden wave of dizziness came across her and she stumbled into the wall, breathing heavily. She pressed one hand against the cool wall and the other went to her chest, right where the dressing was. A dull throbbing pain began getting stronger and stronger in her chest.

Her palms began getting sweaty and she felt clammy, as if a fever was coming over her but that's highly unlikely, she hasn't had a fever since she was eighteen.

Lowri closed her eyes and leant back against the rough wall. All Lowri wanted was to sleep all of this off, to get some proper rest.

The throbbing pain got sharper and she let out a small yelp, she pulled up her shirt and began peeling off a corner of the bandage, it was thick and the medical tape was strong but Lowri managed to peel back enough to get a glimpse of two swollen lumps on her chest, as if she had been bitten by a mosquito.

She pressed the medical tape back in place and pushed off from the wall, she was going to start panicking if she didn't do something.

Lowri stepped back into the room, considerably calmer and the bed in front of her was empty.

"We need to figure out what we're gonna do." Steve's voice carried out and Lowri crossed the room and spotted them all in another room, Nick and Nat sat around the table and Maria, Steve and Sam were standing around the table. As Steve spoke, Maria slid into a chair next to Nick.

Lowri stepped into the room but she was still feeling slightly feverish. She wasn't going to say anything because it was probably nothing. She slid into the seat beside Nat and she shared a look with her.

Steve paced behind her and Sam was standing opposite Lowri with his arms crossed over his chest.

Nick looked up at Steve with a serious look on his face and he brought out a photo of Alexander Pierce. Lowri flinched when she saw the image at first and she gained a curious look from Nick and Steve leant heavily on the back of her chair, subtly letting her know that he was there for her.

"This man declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace wasn't an achievement, it was a responsibility. See, it's stuff like that gives me trust issues." Nick said, he threw the photograph down and he looked at Lowri. "What happened?"

Lowri dropped her eyes to the table and leant forward on her elbows.

"Alexander Pierce is ready to use any sort of questioning techniques to get what he wants." Lowri said carefully, she looked up at Nick and he sat back in his seat.

There was a silence that hung in the air and Lowri leant back and crossed her arms over her chest, wincing as the throbbing pains in her chest got sharper.

"We have to stop that launch." Nat said, breaking the silence. Her shoulder had been patched up with white dressings, steadily growing red.

Maria was busy setting up laptops in front of her and there was a silver briefcase just beside her legs.

"I don't think the Council's accepting my calls anymore." Nick said slowly, he raised an eyebrow as Maria passed the silver briefcase over to Nick. He slid the case onto the table and opened it up to reveal three green and black computer chips.

"What's that?" Sam asked. He held up a defensive stance, but he glanced at Steve. It was clear that Sam was here to follow Steve's orders, to follow him like a soldier following their leader.

"Hydra plans to use the helicarriers to their advantage. Remember that 1000 hostiles wiped out? Try a couple million." Nick said, looking around at everyone.

"Once the helicarriers reach 3000 feet, they will triangulate with Insight satellites, becoming fully weaponised almost instantly." Maria began, she spun one of the laptops around to how a plan of the three helicarriers and their route into the air, then the final plan.

"We need to breach these helicarriers," Nick said, the screen zoomed in on one of the helicarriers and showed the underbelly, there's a small room underneath which acted as a control room. "And replace their targeting blades with our own."

"One or two won't cut it." Maria said seriously, "We need to link all three carriers for this to work. Because if even if one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die." Maria said, she looked over at Lowri first, then Steve and then Sam. "That's why each of you is gonna have a chip. Each of you target a carrier each. Three is better than two."

"We need to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra. We have to get past them, insert the server blades. And maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left-" Nick said but Lowri cut him off.

"No." Lowri said straight away. Nick's eye flew to her with a sharp look in them.

"No?" Nick asked slowly, he leant heavily on the table and stared at her.

"We're not salvaging anything." Steve said firmly, he leant heavily on the back of Lowri's chair and she felt slightly proud that he had her back. "We're not just taking down the carriers and Hydra, Nick. We're taking down S. H. I. E. L. D."

"S. H. I. E. L. D. had nothing to do with all this." Nick said in a low, and dangerous, tone.

"S. H. I. E. L. D. has had everything to do with this." Lowri replied in an equally low, and dangerous, tone. She kept her eyes locked on Nick as she spoke. "We – _I_ gave the approval for Operational Paperclip to go ahead in the early days, that's what brought Arnim Zola into S. H. I. E. L. D." She dropped her eyes to the table, "Because of a stupid mistake I made years ago, Hydra grew in S. H. I. E. L. D. without any of us noticing."

"That can't have been helped-" Nick started but Lowri cut him off again.

"You don't see it, but I do. Hydra is S. H. I. E. L. D. and S. H. I. E. L. D. is Hydra. All of our operations and protocols are Hydra. How can we distinguish between the two of them if both have been up and running for the same time?" Lowri asked, but no one answered her question. "I helped create S. H. I. E. L. D. and I say the end is now. My word stands."

The authority rang through the room silenced them all.

"This is how the mission ends, Nick. S. H. I. E. L. D.'s been compromised. You said so yourself. Hydra grew right under your nose and nobody noticed." Steve added calmly.

Lowri felt the guilt rush over her and she closed her eyes. How would the others react? Chester, Peggy and Howard? How would they react to knowing that Hydra is still alive?

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave?" Nick asked, gesturing to their current surroundings. "I noticed."

"And how many people paid the price before you did?" Steve asked harshly.

"Look," Nick said firmly, he glanced away from Steve as he thought of the right words, he looked back at Steve and pressed his lips together. "I didn't know about Barnes."

"Even if you had, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalised that too?" Steve asked, he was pissed off, borderline dangerous. "S. H. I. E. L. D., Hydra, it all goes."

"He's right." Maria said quietly, she refused to meet Nick's eye.

Nick turned from Maria and looked at Nat for her answer but Nat refused to meet his eye too and she didn't even move or say anything.

So, Nick looked up at Sam for his answer.

"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower." Sam said, gesturing to Steve, still standing behind Lowri with a firm look in his eyes.

Then Nick looked at Lowri and his gaze softened.

"You know my position on this, Nick. S. H. I. E. L. D. goes." Lowri said, she leant back and crossed her arms over her chest but the sharp throbbing pain multiplied three times and she fought to keep her body still.

"Well…" Nick began, he looked up at Steve. "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."

Steve didn't crack a smile, instead, he stepped around Lowri and placed both hands on the table and leant heavily.

"Hill, what do these targeting blades do?" Steve asked, nodding to the open case in front of them.

"When the three helicarriers triangulate, and if these targeting blades are in place, then millions of people won't die. Their weapons will lock onto each other instead." Maria answered calmly.

Steve nodded his head, "The three of us will target a helicarrier each. Sam's got his Falcon suit and Lowri's got her fire. If anything goes wrong, you two can mix it up. We're gonna need someone on the inside."

"We've already got that covered." Maria said, she reached into the rough bag at her feet and pulled out a small device. "This is a photo-veil, Nat, you're gonna wear this and impersonate one of the council women from the World Security Council. They're gonna be there for the launch. You're gonna need to gain control of the room and hack into the mainframe and servers, release every bit of S. H. I. E. L. D. data to the world, including Hydra's."

As Maria spoke, the pain in Lowri's chest multiplied and multiplied and the fever gained control over her. Lowri pressed her hand to the dressing on her chest as the pain increased considerably.

Lowri cussed loudly and her entire body went light, as if all gravity was gone from her. She felt extremely lightheaded and her hand fell from her chest as her body slumped to the side as Lowri fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Ooh, what do you think happened?**

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	13. Chapter 13

**I am so sorry for not updating this week, time has simply run away from me!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Look," Nick said firmly, he glanced away from Steve as he thought of the right words, he looked back at Steve and pressed his lips together. "I didn't know about Barnes."_

 _"Even if you had, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalised that too?" Steve asked, he was pissed off, borderline dangerous. "S. H. I. E. L. D., Hydra, it all goes."_

 _"He's right." Maria said quietly, she refused to meet Nick's eye._

 _Nick turned from Maria and looked at Nat for her answer but Nat refused to meet his eye too and she didn't even move or say anything._

 _So, Nick looked up at Sam for his answer._

 _"Don't look at me. I do what he does, just slower." Sam said, gesturing to Steve, still standing behind Lowri with a firm look in his eyes._

 _Then Nick looked at Lowri and his gaze softened._

 _"You know my position on this, Nick. S. H. I. E. L. D. goes." Lowri said, she leant back and crossed her arms over her chest but the sharp throbbing pain multiplied three times and she fought to keep her body still._

 _"Well…" Nick began, he looked up at Steve. "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain."_

 _Steve didn't crack a smile, instead, he stepped around Lowri and placed both hands on the table and leant heavily._

 _"Hill, what do these targeting blades do?" Steve asked, nodding to the open case in front of them._

 _"When the three helicarriers triangulate, and if these targeting blades are in place, then millions of people won't die. Their weapons will lock onto each other instead." Maria answered calmly._

 _Steve nodded his head, "The three of us will target a helicarrier each. Sam's got his Falcon suit and Lowri's got her fire. If anything goes wrong, you two can mix it up. We're gonna need someone on the inside."_

 _"We've already got that covered." Maria said, she reached into the rough bag at her feet and pulled out a small device. "This is a photo-veil, Nat, you're gonna wear this and impersonate one of the council women from the World Security Council. They're gonna be there for the launch. You're gonna need to gain control of the room and hack into the mainframe and servers, release every bit of S. H. I. E. L. D. data to the world, including Hydra's."_

 _As Maria spoke, the pain in Lowri's chest multiplied and multiplied and the fever gained control over her. Lowri pressed her hand to the dressing on her chest as the pain increased considerably._

 _Lowri cussed loudly and her entire body went light, as if all gravity was gone from her. She felt extremely lightheaded and her hand fell from her chest as her body slumped to the side as Lowri fell unconscious._

* * *

The other five people in the cave-room froze as Lowri fell from her chair and she hit the ground hard. No one spoke, everyone seemed unable to communicate or react.

Steve was the first to move, Lowri had been sat in the chair next to him and she had fallen away from him, she lay sprawled on the floor with an off look on her face.

"Lowri!" Steve yelped.

Steve dropped to his knees beside her as soon as he had tugged the chair out of his way, he scooped her into his arms and brought her head onto his lap, he tried to assess her from this position to see what was wrong but it was always hard to tell with Lowri.

"She's bleeding." Sam said slowly, he moved up beside them and leant down, he picked up Lowri's hand and turned it so the palm faced upwards, her palm was covered in red blood. Steve looked up and down her body eagerly, trying to find where she was bleeding. Her chest had a darker patch and when Steve laid his hand on the spot and brought it back, his hand was covered in blood too. There was something on her chest, the bandage she had mentioned earlier.

"What did Hydra do to her?" Steve asked in a strained voice.

"I don't know." Maria insisted quickly, she shook her head. "I'm gonna get the doctor." Maria bolted from the room in search of the doctor.

Steve laid a hand on Lowri's forehead and he yanked his hand back with a sharp yelp. Pain seared through his hand and he grit his teeth. The back of his hand felt as though he had been burnt.

"What's the matter?" Nat asked, she had risen to her feet but she leant heavily on the table and it was clear that the loss of blood had affected her greatly. She was still pale and she needed to sit down otherwise she would pass out.

"She's hot. Like, burning hot." Steve replied, he looked up at Nat with wide eyes. "Like she's got a really intense fever. It's not possible though, is it?"

The doctor was in the room in the next instant, he dropped to his knees beside Lowri and placed his hand on Lowri's forehead, just like Steve. He yanked his hand back with a hiss and cussed.

"What happened to her?" The doctor asked quickly, he grabbed Lowri's wrist and found her pulse, he kept an eye on the watch and counted.

"We don't know. She's been in Hydra's hands for the last two days." Steve said, he looked back down at Lowri. "She said that she was tortured, she was pretty general about what they did to her." Steve said.

"Screws drilled into her, teeth ripped out, crushed toes and fingernails ripped off." Nat said slowly. "Do you think any of that could have done this to Lowri?"

"There's a bandage on her chest." Steve said before the doctor could reply, the doctor looked sharply at Steve. "She was holding her chest before she collapsed and she's bleeding heavily."

The doctor dropped his eyes to Lowri. "Her heartbeat is too fast." He breathed. The doctor put his hand on her chest and when he saw the blood, he immediately put pressure on the wound. "I'm gonna need someone to grab me some bandages, lots of them. I need to pack this wound and stop the bleeding before I attempt any-"

At this point, Lowri began groggily waking up and her eyes fluttered.

Lowri had a pounding in her head and she groaned, she felt something behind her head but instead of pondering who or what that was, the smell of her surroundings commanded her attention. Was she still in Hydra's clutches? Had they moved her from her all white, pristine cell to one underground?

It took Lowri a few seconds to realise that she was no longer in Hydra's control and that she was back with those loyal to S. H. I. E. L. D., that they were working on a plan to stop Hydra and that she was lying on the dirt floor/

"What happened?" Lowri asked groggily as she opened her eyes. She looked up at the ceiling, the rough ceiling and she looked around her. She saw Nick and Maria, Nat and Sam, the doctor who was on his knees beside her. She wasn't held captive by Hydra but her eyes settled on something worse.

Him.

Fear began brewing deep inside her and it began bubbling to the surface. Lowri was wrapped in _his_ arms. _He_ was sitting with her head on his lap, looking down at her with concern in _his_ eyes.

How can he be so calm with her? How can he act like this after all he has done?

The fear bubbled and burst forth and Lowri quickly scrambled out of his arms with surprising quickness, startling everyone in the room. Lowri backed away from the tall blonde man, her body rigid with fear and her eyes wide. She backed up until she hit the rough cave wall and she pressed herself against it, breathing heavily and her eyes darted around the room, searching for the escape routes.

Nat stepped around the table as soon as Lowri had bolted out of Steve's arms. Nick stayed in his seat, watching the scene with a careful eye.

Lowri pressed herself harder against the rough wall when Steve stepped closer to her, she flinched and didn't meet his eye.

"Please keep him away from me." Lowri pleaded in a tone no one had ever heard her speak with. It was pure terror, as if something had control of her.

Everyone looked at Steve with the same worried expression. Why was Lowri so scared of Steve? As long as anyone in the room had known her, she had only loved the man. Just merely a short hour ago, Lowri clung to him with love in her eyes but now she is terrified of him, cowering away from him.

"Please." She pleaded, her voice grew quieter.

Steve slowly rose to his feet, holding out one hand in a sign of surrender but Lowri cowered away from him and her eyes shot to his. She watched his every move with hard and short breaths.

Lowri's eyes scanned the room, looking for an escape route but Steve shifted his weight from one foot to the other and Lowri's eyes flew back to him and Steve froze.

It was as though her eyes were piercing him and it was terrifying. She was like a deer trapped in headlights.

"Lowri?" Sam asked gently. He had remained where he stood but he recognised the signs of fear and panic.

Something had changed inside of Lowri in that split second from when she woke up. There could be no way that Lowri would be terrified of Steve.

"Lowri." Nick said, his voice rung the authority that she knew too well and he looked at her with a stern look in his eye.

Steve took a small step towards Lowri, still holding his hands up in surrender but this was the topping of the cake for her.

Lowri's face became full of rage and torment and she flew at Steve with all the anger in her body, she hit him with almost everything she had.

Steve was clueless as to how to stop Lowri from attacking, so he let her, he stepped back with each hit, a scared look in his eyes and he tried to talk to her.

Lowri was just full of rage, each of her hits were stronger than normal and they actually left sore red marks on Steve's skin. Lowri backed him up against the wall on the opposite side of the room and she ignored the words he yelled at her.

"Lowri!" Steve yelled at her but she wasn't listening. Steve didn't hit back, he only blocked her. The others in the room were unsure of how to go ahead, they had no idea what to do.

Lowri raised her hand one final time and instead of clenching her hand into a fist, the palm remained open and a dull red and orange glow began growing around her hand, a tell-tale sign of her fire.

She looked at her hand and looked up at Steve, the wild and terrified look in her eyes was replaced with confusion. With a grunt, she closed her hand into a fist and she forced her fire back. Before she could land another hit on him, an arm came out of nowhere and Lowri was out cold on the floor in the next second.

"Thanks." Steve breathed out heavily, he slumped against the wall, frozen in fear at how wild Lowri had been acting. He glanced at Nat and she nodded her head at him. She was leaning against the wall too and she was clutching at her shoulder, her injured shoulder.

Nat had been the one to throw the punch that knocked Lowri out, using her injured arm so she probably tore the stitches in her shoulder doing so.

"No problem." Nat replied, she leant her back against the wall and breathed out heavily too. "She'd want it happen."

"Any idea why Lowri flew at you like that?" Sam asked, he addressed the question to Steve but he looked around the room, hoping that someone had the answer.

Steve shook his head slowly and his eyes dropped to Lowri. The doctor stepped forward and dropped beside Lowri and he began a quick examination.

"The answer might be in these." Maria said slowly. She was back by the table and the bag she had brought with her was empty on the floor beside her, in her hands was a large sheaf of official looking papers. "I broke into one of the offices and swiped as much intel as I could from their labs. There might be something useful in here."

"Put them in the medic room." The doctor ordered, "I'll need to complete a full examination of her before I can deliver a diagnosis. But there is no way that she is going on this mission of yours."

Steve nodded his head quickly as Maria hurried the papers into the medic room just next door.

"Give her my bed." Nick said slowly.

"Can you carry her?" The doctor asked gently, he looked up at Steve and he nodded. "Good."

Steve knelt down beside Lowri and gingerly placed his hands on her, scared that she'd wake up and fly into another rage at him. It's concerning and confusing how she only seemed terrified of him. She had pleaded for the others to keep him away from her.

He scooped her into his arms and straightened up, the doctor stepped off in the direction of the medic room but he stopped and turned back to Nat.

"You'd better come in too, I want to check your stiches." The doctor added. Nat moved after them and the three of them moved into the medic room.

Steve gently lay Lowri on the bed and stepped back as the doctor began fussing around her.

Straight away, the doctor jumped back and began rushing around, cursing under his breath. Steve was pushed backwards and he stumbled backwards and Nat put her hands out to stop him from falling over.

"What's happening? What's the matter?" Steve asked quickly.

The doctor ignored Steve, he pulled out a small clear tube from somewhere below the bed and began to slide the tube down Lowri's throat.

"What's happening?" Steve asked again.

"She's stopped breathing. Her body has shut down. I'm trying to get her on oxygen to stabilise her." the doctor replied quickly.

He was successful in attaching the oxygen pipe and he worked to set up the machine that would monitor her heart before he began his examination.

Steve stumbled against the wall and Nat watched on helplessly.

"She has gone into a coma." The doctor said slowly, "I've stabilised her and that's as much as I can do at the moment. She's on life support."

"Can you do anything to fix her?" Steve asked quickly.

"At the moment no, but I will read through these notes, maybe there's something in there that can help. But since I didn't induce her into the coma medically, I can't say for certain when she's going to wake up." The doctor said, he was pale and sweaty already. "Come here, Miss Romanoff, let me have a look at that shoulder."

Thankfully, the stitches in Nat's shoulders were still intact but the doctor redressed the wound before letting her go and both Nat and Steve left the room slowly.

"She's in good hands." Nat said quietly. Steve's mind was going crazy, thinking of all the reasons why Lowri could have fly at him like that but none seemed plausible. "We'll get to the bottom of it, we just need to focus on getting rid of Hydra."

Hydra must have done something to Lowri while she was in their custody, something more than just torture.

Back in the meeting room, order was back with Nick and Maria sat at the table again and Sam just stood in front of the table, all three discussing tactics in low tones.

All looked up at Steve and Nat as they walked back in and Nat informed the rest of them of Lowri's current condition before Steve stepped forward and started off the planning again.

"Sam, you and I will take the targeting blades, I'll have two, you have one. But I'll need a lift from one carrier to the other." Steve said stepping up to the table. "It's up to us to stop those carriers." Steve looked over at Nat, who had thankfully slid into a chair. "We still need someone on the inside. You alright with using that thing?" Steve asked, nodding to the device lying on the table in front of them.

Nat nodded her head. "When I release the S. H. I. E. L. D. files, I'm gonna need two Alpha Level operatives to unlock the files." Nat said. "Lowri is one- but I don't think she's up to it."

"I'm not good for any fighting, but I can sure as hell scare Pierce into cooperating. He and I will unlock the files." Nick said carefully.

"Sounds like a plan." Sam noted.

Steve nodded his head and then excused himself from the room. He needed to be in an open space so he doesn't feel so confined.

Everything that has happened in such a small space of time was almost too much for him to handle. There was the fall of S. H. I. E. L. D., the organisation that has been his anchor since he woke up from the ice, there was discovering the Nazi German organisation that he had thrown down as his last act was still around and gaining members by the day, and then there was losing the woman he loves to Hydra and then gaining her back only to lose her again to something unknown.

He reached the top of the dam, crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, he breathed in deeply and sighed.

He had forgotten about Bucky.

Steve leant back against the concrete wall and opened his eyes again with the realisation that two of the most important people in his life have attacked him today, and he also realised that having something like that happen to you, does take it out of you.

Sam approached Steve after a few minutes alone, the guy had recognized signs in Steve and knew he needed to talk so they did, first about Lowri and her condition and then Bucky. Steve realised it was good that he had talked, now all of his worries was off his chest and this meant he could go into the fight clearheaded.

Nat was sent off under the guise of Councilwoman Hawley from the World Security Council, using the photo-veil. She had no radio, no way of communication with the others, just in case she's found out.

Nick went off to call a few of his trusted contacts and this left Maria, Steve and Sam to make their way to the Triskelion. Maria wore her all black field-suit with an array of guns at her waist, Sam wore his Falcon wings and Steve was still in his civilian clothes. On their way to the Triskelion, Steve made a short detour and nabbed his old suit from the Smithsonian and it was just how he remembered it.

It made him feel as though he was off to fight with the Howling Commandos, and that's what he needed just now.

Maria took the lead, heading towards the Triskelion and Sam brought up the rear. This is the first time he would be in the Triskelion.

It was surprisingly easy to break into the Triskelion and bypass all the new security detail that had been posted. They made their way to the Control Room without being noticed.

Maria fiddled with the satellite that provided the link for the Triskelion's communication devices and this brought out a new looking agent to investigate.

The new looking agent spied Maria first and then Sam, and then Steve. He makes a big impression thanks to his old field suit.

This poor agent got very scared when he saw both Maria and Sam with their guns out and pointing at him. Steve stepped forward calmly towards the agent who immediately held his hands up and stepped back to allow them through.

"Excuse us." Steve said, the agent stepped back another step and let the three of them though. Maria immediately took control of the room quickly and efficiently, clearing the room. Steve found the microphone that will allow him to speak to everyone on the base and he wasted no time in announcing his presence.

He knew that as soon as he started talking, they would only have a small window because the helicarriers would be launched as soon as possible.

" _Attention all S. H. I. E. L. D. agents, this is Steve Rogers. You may have heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me and Lowri Jones down_." Steve began, he leant heavily on the counter in front of him, focusing solely on the microphone just by his mouth. " _But I think it's time that you all know the truth_."

Steve didn't need to pause; the words came to him so freely and he knew they were the right things to say.

" _S. H. I. E. L. D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by Hydra and Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S. T. R. I. K. E. and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want, absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. They captured and tortured Lowri Jones, Hydra experimented on her and now she's lying in a coma because of what they did to her. And it won't end there, if you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high. It always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay, and if I'm the only one then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not_." Steve finished the speech and leant back, slightly satisfied.

"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked with a teasing smirk. Steve laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past.

* * *

 **Again, I am sorry! I'm crap when it comes to updating on time, I really do try!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy Tuesday, my lovelies!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _It was surprisingly easy to break into the Triskelion and bypass all the new security detail that had been posted. They made their way to the Control Room without being noticed._

 _Maria fiddled with the satellite that provided the link for the Triskelion's communication devices and this brought out a new looking agent to investigate._

 _The new looking agent spied Maria first and then Sam, and then Steve. He makes a big impression thanks to his old field suit._

 _This poor agent got very scared when he saw both Maria and Sam with their guns out and pointing at him. Steve stepped forward calmly towards the agent who immediately held his hands up and stepped back to allow them through._

 _"Excuse us." Steve said, the agent stepped back another step and let the three of them though. Maria immediately took control of the room quickly and efficiently, clearing the room. Steve found the microphone that will allow him to speak to everyone on the base and he wasted no time in announcing his presence._

 _He knew that as soon as he started talking, they would only have a small window because the helicarriers would be launched as soon as possible._

 _"_ _Attention all S. H. I. E. L. D. agents, this is Steve Rogers. You may have heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me and Lowri Jones down_ _." Steve began, he leant heavily on the counter in front of him, focusing solely on the microphone just by his mouth. "_ _But I think it's time that you all know the truth_ _."_

 _Steve didn't need to pause; the words came to him so freely and he knew they were the right things to say._

 _"_ _S. H. I. E. L. D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by Hydra and Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S. T. R. I. K. E. and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want, absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. They captured and tortured Lowri Jones, Hydra experimented on her and now she's lying in a coma because of what they did to her. And it won't end there, if you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high. It always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay, and if I'm the only one then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not_ _." Steve finished the speech and leant back, slightly satisfied._

 _"Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?" Sam asked with a teasing smirk. Steve laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past._

* * *

The doctor, Adam Fine, began his examination by taking blood samples from Lowri so he could test them while he examined her further. He made a quick look over her before focusing on the dressing on Lowri's chest.

The dressing was thick and the medical tape was coming loose, Doctor Fine peeled back the dressing and tried to keep his puzzlement squashed down. He had suspected a large wound, likely infected but he was greeted with two swollen lumps, close together, both just over her heart.

To the untrained eye, these swollen lumps would look like insect bites but he knew they were infected injection sites.

Something may have been injected straight into her bloodstream, something that affected her strangely.

While he waited for the test results to come back, he tried to treat the infected lumps and dressed the wounds again. He took up the large sheaf of papers and began rifling through them, trying to understand what Hydra had written.

Most of the sheets were filled with handwritten notes and they weren't in any sort of order at all and at the end, there were several sheets of paper with headers.

Doctor Fine started off with these, the paper started with Lowri's full name, social security number and address, then her estimated age and blood type. The ones who had done this had ran various test on Lowri's blood and the first thing that they had picked up was that whatever caused the mutation of fire, her ability to heal quickly and her ability not to age, there is a tiny strand of her DNA that displays such abnormalities that it looks like all her powers originates from there.

The papers also stated other things about Lowri that they had discovered, how her body core temperature is estimated to be at least four times hotter than the average human, her cells have an accelerated pace which means her cells are reproducing and dying off three times faster than an average human, this is how she looks so young but it's also stated how Lowri is infertile.

The computer beside Doctor Fine dinged as it notified him that the blood results were back. His eyes widened at the sight of the results in front of him, there was something definitely in her blood but he had never seen it before and it concerned him.

"We gotta move. We got three helicarriers to take down." Steve said, he glanced down at his utility belt and peered into the little pocket with a clip on it, checking that two of the targeting blades was still in place. Steve looked back up and his eyes settled on Maria, "Are you good staying here?" He asked.

Maria nodded her head and motioned for them to go.

"I'm good." Maria said calmly, she turned back to the emptied room and plonked down in front of the control panel and monitors.

Steve and Sam took off at a run, through the base and down to the Insight Bays at the back of the building.

" _They're initiating the launch._ " Maria informed them through their ear pieces.

Ahead of them, the Insight Bays began draining the water and the metal covers began receding and then the tell-tale sound of large engines started up was heard.

"Hey Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam asked as they pelted it across the space between the Triskelion and the Insight Bays.

"If they're shooting at you, they're bad." Steve answered. They reached the edge but without slowing down at all, Sam activated his Falcon Wings and jumped into the air using the edge and he flew off with a twist, Steve didn't look down but he threw himself off the edge and landed onto the rising helicarrier below.

As Steve landed, he rolled to spread the impact and took off down the long runway on the top deck of the helicarrier at a run. Immediately, the shooting began. Steve dove for cover, he threw himself over a stack of boxes held together by straps and he took cover by big metal container.

He picked up on the sound of fast moving footsteps heading his way and just in time, Steve brought his arm back and pinned the agent's firing arm against the metal container. The agent yelled out but Steve punched him in the face, making him drop his weapon and the agent dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Steve took a grenade from the agent's belt, unpinned it and tossed it down into the line of agents heading right for him, taking them all out.

There was a loud explosion above his head but Steve didn't let that phase him.

" _Hey, Cap. I found those bad guys you were talking about._ " Sam said over the comms link.

"You okay?" Steve asked as he straightened up.

" _I'm not dead yet_." Sam noted.

" _Falcon, status._ " Maria ordered.

" _Engaging._ " Sam replied, there was a pause. " _Alright, Cap, I'm in. Oh shit_!" Sam yelped. Steve was quickly distracted by two agents running at him but he swiftly knocked them down his shield, he kicked another agent down and as he turned, he brought his shield up and knocked another down. He used his knee to disable the next agent and spun around before booting one agent away from him.

Another agent ran at Steve with some force, but Steve jumped up and kicked the running agent with both feet, sending the agent flying away from him, Steve quickly turned and knocked another out with his shield then he tossed his shield at the final agent.

" _Eight minutes, Cap._ " Maria reported.

"Working on it." Steve huffed, he caught his shield and then entered the lower deck of the helicarrier. He quickly found the metal steps leading to the belly of the helicarrier and he ran along the bridge that was suspended from the steps to the control board.

Steve reached the glass case holding the targeting blade he had to replace and he typed in the four-digit code that Maria had given to them just before they left, Steve took out the Insight targeting blade and replaced it with the one from the pocket on his belt.

Steve turned away from the glass case after shutting it firmly. "Alpha lock." Steve reported as he made his way back up the stairs.

" _Falcon, where are you now_?" Maria asked.

" _I had to take a detour._ " Sam panted, there was loud gunshots on Sam's end. " _Wooo! Oh yeah! I'm in._ " Sam added, he sounded rather happy. " _Bravo lock._ "

" _Two down, one to go. Charlie carrier is 45 degrees off the port bow. 5 minutes._ " Maria reported.

Steve ran as soon as he hit the landing deck again, behind him, more agents had lined up behind him, shooting at him.

"Hey, Sam, gonna need a ride." Steve said, he glanced behind him and dodged a spray of bullets but then he spotted the bazooka warming up and he ran harder and faster.

" _Roger. Let me know when you're ready._ " Sam answered.

"I just did!" Steve yelled as he threw himself off the helicarrier, just narrowly missing the bazooka shot and he free-fell.

Doctor Fine slumped in his chair and pressed his hands to his eyes.

He had read everything that Maria Hill had brought him but there was nothing on what Lowri had been injected with and it was nothing known to the science community.

Lowri's coma was sustaining her life, but that's all. If he can't figure out what's in her blood, then he won't be able to figure out a way to get the strange substance out and fix her, and there may be no hope for her. She might be stuck in this coma until someone figures it out.

Doctor Fine slid to the floor and began looking through the papers again, looking for something he had missed. _AVG Type 1, product batch 0835._

He yanked the page from the rest of them and began reading eagerly. At first, he was reading so quickly only a few words sank in, _serum, terrifying images, taking over memories, introducing new ones._

Doctor Fine had to read the entire page twice. Hydra had been studying Lowri for decades, learning about her silently and they've compiled everything they had on her into this serum, it was designed just for her. How on earth could they have attempted 834 tries previously?

The serum was designed to knock out the recipient for a few minutes while the serum infiltrates the body and mind and when the recipient wakes up, the mind is flooded with new, terrifying images that takes over their memories and replaces them, these new memories are engineered using known memories.

And so, Lowri's memories of Captain Rogers were likely the only ones changed and that's why Lowri attacked only him.

This might have been a ploy to turn Lowri into a weapon because they knew that Captain Rogers wouldn't hurt her, so she was the perfect person to either kill or harm him. This is a cruel punishment for Captain Rogers, using the woman he loves to hurt him.

Now that Doctor Fine knows what's in Lowri's blood, he just needs to figure out how to get it out of her.

Sam sped up to grab hold of Steve and put almost everything into the thrusters to lift them both into the air and up onto the Charlie helicarrier.

Steve was dropped onto the final helicarrier and Sam landed beside him, giving him a sneaky side look.

"You know, you're a lot heavier than you look." Sam noted as they made their way quickly across the runway on the top deck.

"I had a big breakfast." Steve replied.

Suddenly, Steve was shoved hard from the side and he stumbled and tripped, then toppled over the side of the helicarrier and fell.

"Steve!" Sam yelled. He jumped into the air, activating his Falcon wings and he was about to fly after Steve to catch him but before he could fly down, he was stopped by the Winter Soldier grabbing hold of one of his wings and he was thrown backwards. Sam spiralled away from the Winter Soldier and in the same second, he pulled out two guns and began shooting.

The Winter Soldier grappled one of Sam's wings before Sam could fly off and he tore the wing off, sending Sam into a fast spiral down and down.

The one wing remaining continued to throw Sam off as he spun down to the earth, he pulled the emergency cord which released the wing and he simply free fell but the earth was fast approaching and he was in the danger zone, he deployed his parachute just in time but he landed hard.

"Cap! Cap, come it. Are you okay?" Sam asked urgently on the comms link.

"Yeah, I'm here!" Steve yelled in reply, he was hanging onto the edge of the helicarrier by his fingertips. "I'm still on the helicarrier. Where are you?" Steve asked as he pulled himself back onto the helicarrier, he turned and looked down at the ground, almost 3,000 feet in the air and he felt the pressure sink in.

"I'm grounded. The suit's down. Sorry, Cap." Sam said quickly.

"Don't worry. I got it." Steve said, he moved away from the edge of the helicarrier and made his way inside.

" _Falcon._ " Maria said shortly.

" _Yeah_?" Sam asked.

" _Rumlow's heading for the Council._ " Maria supplied.

" _I'm on it._ " Sam replied, he took off, heading for the Triskelion.

Steve made his way into the belly of the final helicarrier and he took two steps at a time on the metal stairs, he pelted it across the bridge but he stopped halfway when he finally looked up and saw who was waiting for him.

Steve stopped and his shoulders dropped as he sighed. The person standing in front of him was someone he knew very well, but this person had seemed to have forgotten him.

"People are gonna die, Buck." Steve said slowly, his words almost caught in his throat. He kept his eyes on the man who had once known so well but now looked barely recognizable. "I can't let that happen." Steve added, he looked pleadingly at the Winter Soldier but he only stood with cold, glaring eyes. "Please don't make me do this."

The Winter Soldier made no move at all but time was pressuring Steve, he lobbed his shield at the man in front of him and ran straight ahead, the Winter Soldier – Bucky, brought his metal arm in time and the shield ricocheted off, Steve grabbed it back just as Bucky grabbed two guns from the holsters on his sides and shot at Steve. The bullets hit the shield and then Steve used the shield to knock one of Bucky's gun away and Bucky spun, as he spun, he shot the remaining gun blindly underneath Steve's shield and the bullet grazed Steve's side painfully.

Steve stepped back a pace to gather himself but Bucky ran at him, Steve planted his feet firmly and shoved back at Bucky with all he had, using the shield, and sent Bucky flying backwards but he was back on his feet in an instant and with a knife in his hand.

Steve quickly knocked the knife hand away and the two began to battle it out with a series of punches and kicks, Bucky kicked at Steve one last time and it sent him flying backwards, Bucky used his metal arm to punch Steve but instead he punched the shield and he went flying backwards into the railings and was disorientated enough to give Steve the opportunity to dash to the glass casing.

Steve hastily entered the four-digit code to open the glass case and he reached for the last targeting blade in his pocket but he sensed something approaching and he spun to counter Bucky's attack.

Steve blocked him and shoved the metal arm away from him, he caught the knife-wielding arm and kicked him away forcefully. Steve spun back to the glass casing as Bucky stumbled backwards and he took the targeting blade from the pocket and before Steve could insert it, Steve turned and saw Bucky run at him. Steve brought up his shield just as Bucky threw a punch, using the shield, Steve shoved Bucky away from him and swung at him using the shield, Steve punched Bucky hard and Bucky gave a loud roar.

Angrily, Bucky shoved Steve over the railings and fell with him too. Steve unwillingly let go of the targeting blade as he landed hard on the metal bit sticking out, acting as a support beam, the targeting blade slid down the slope of the metal bit. Steve didn't have time to think about retrieving the targeting blade, Bucky was straight on him. They began fighting on the slippery metal.

Bucky backhanded Steve across the face and Steve fell backwards, he landed hard and he slid involuntary down the slope, he grabbed the targeting blade as he slid and he tried to stash it back into the pocket but Bucky slid down to meet him and they got their feet at the same time, Steve ducked a punch and managed to block another but the targeting blade flew out of his grasp. Steve whacked Bucky across the face and booted him in the stomach, Bucky slid too easily off the end of the metal edge.

Steve jumped down after him but instead of racing to attack Bucky again, Steve raced for the targeting blade. Bucky was on his hands and knees as Steve rushed by him, he jumped to his feet and took hold of Steve's shield, he lobbed it at Steve, causing Steve to stumble and fall when the shield caught him square between his shoulders. Steve grunted as he fell, but he grabbed his shield and rolled with it, he came to a stop on his knees and he huddled behind the shield as Bucky began to open fire at him.

When there was a lull in the shooting, Steve threw his shield at Bucky but it was too easily defected, Bucky brought out another sharp looking knife and rushed at Steve, who dodged the first few blows but then Bucky gained speed and accuracy and drove the knife deeply into Steve's shoulder.

Steve yelled out and Bucky shoved Steve away from him, sending Steve into one of the half-walls adding support to the lower levels of the helicarrier. Steve pulled the knife from his shoulder and ignored the blood flowing freely from his shoulder, as he stumbled to his feet, he reached for Bucky.

Bucky grabbed hold of the targeting blade and turned it over in his hand. Steve grabbed hold of Bucky used almost all of his remaining strength to lift Bucky into the air by his throat. With sudden force, Steve dropped to his knees and he slammed Bucky down onto the floor and twisted so Bucky was in a tight hold.

"Drop it!" Steve yelled as he twisted Bucky's human arm to make him drop the targeting blade, he dislocated Bucky's human arm and Bucky let out a horrible cry and it echoed around the room but Steve didn't relent. He spun onto his back so Bucky was lying on his chest, he still held onto Bucky's human arm and Steve moved his other arm around Bucky's neck.

Bucky tried to pry Steve's arm away from his neck but Steve quickly trapped Bucky's metal arm with his foot.

This went on and on until Bucky eventually lost consciousness and then Steve let him go. Steve grabbed the fallen targeting blade and made a dash for the platform above him

" _One minute._ " Maria reported urgently.

Steve had wasted so much time fighting Bucky.

He swung himself onto the slope and ran towards the centre where he could climb up swiftly.

Steve heard the gunshot before he felt it. The sound echoed around the circular room but then Steve stumbled and he felt pain explode from his leg. He gripped the back of his leg as he limped for the centre and he glanced back.

Bucky was standing with a deranged look on his face, holding his dislocated human arm to his chest and he held a gun in his metal hand.

Steve jumped and grabbed hold of the ledge, ignoring the pain from his leg. He pulled himself up, ignoring the gunshots ringing in his ears.

" _30 seconds, Cap._ " Maria added.

Steve stumbled to his feet, he grit his teeth against the pain as he walked towards the glass casing, the door had swung shut during their scuffle.

A thought passed through his head and it was the first time he had thought of her during this mission. _How does Lowri willingly give herself up to this pain? Why does she sacrifice herself to feel this?_

"Stand by." Steve began, he typed in the code and pulled out the targeting blade. "Charlie-" another gunshot sounded before he felt the bullet pierce his back and out his stomach. he turned and collapsed from the shock. The blood loss multiplied by the second and he felt weaker.

Maria began counting down the numbers, urging Steve to move but she didn't know that he was bleeding out.

Steve gritted his teeth and pushed himself, he pulled himself up and turned.

It was now or never.

Steve slid the targeting blade into the slot just as the countdown ended.

"Charlie lock." Steve panted through the pain.

" _Okay, Cap, get out of there._ " Maria ordered.

"Fire now." Steve ordered. He grunted as he felt the bullet in his thigh shift slightly. He knew that he had very little chance of escaping the helicarrier without getting more hurt. His lift was grounded anyway. Maybe now it's time to give up his life one more time, and this time, it'll actually mean something.

" _But Steve-_ " Maria began but Steve cut her off.

"Do it! Do it now!" Steve yelled, he knew that Maria would hesitate only slightly before following his orders. The helicarrier began shuddering violently within seconds as they turned their fire on themselves. "Hill?" Steve added.

" _Yeah, Cap_?" Maria asked quickly.

Steve breathed in deeply, definitely feeling the pain.

"Call Stark, get him to find Lowri, get her the care she needs. He'll care for her." Steve ordered as he struggled to his feet. He almost fell over again when the helicarrier was hit with something big.

" _I'll do that_." Maria said so quietly that Steve almost missed it.

"And tell her that I love her and always have." Steve breathed. Steve straightened up with Lowri on his mind and as he reached for the railings and held on tightly, he heard something large fall and when he looked, it was the supporting beam that had fallen on Bucky.

Even if the Bucky he knew was gone and he was now the Winter Soldier and had been given several missions to kill him, he's still Bucky. The guy who stuck up for Steve in every single fight he had, the guy who followed Steve to certain death only because they were friends.

Steve dropped down to the lowest level again and stumbled over to Bucky. He fell as the helicarrier tilted aggressively only to stumble back to his feet and grip the support beam.

Bucky looked at Steve as though he had grown another head.

Steve lifted the support beam using the only strength he had left. Bucky grunted as he pulled himself out from the support beam and he straightened up.

"You know me." Steve panted as he stepped away from the support beam.

"No, I don't!" Bucky yelled, he stumbled over to Steve and punched him hard with his metal hand, knocking Steve over.

But Steve got up again, proving that he's still as determined as ever. He reminded himself of how he was before he received the Serum, whenever he was pushed down, he got straight back up.

"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." Steve panted as the helicarrier tilted again and he stumbled but he kept his footing this time. Bucky punched Steve again they both fell but Steve didn't try to stop Bucky attacking him or to defend himself, he was simply too tired. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."

"Shut up!" Bucky yelled, he knocked Steve over again and as Steve got back up to his feet, he pulled of the Captain America helmet to show Bucky his face, he dropped the helmet and it fell to the water below.

"I'm not gonna fight you." Steve breathed. He dropped his shield and it joined the helmet in the Potomac. "You're my friend."

Bucky let out another roar and ran at Steve, Bucky pushed Steve over and jumped on top of him angrily. Steve hit his head against the fallen support beam hard and grimaced.

"You're," Bucky began, he punched Steve hard in the face, "My," he added, punching Steve again in the same place just below his eye, he broke the skin. "Mission!" Bucky finished as he punched Steve again, this time the bruise was already forming.

Bucky pulled back his arm and went to punch Steve but something stopped him, was Bucky recognising Steve?

"Then finish it. Because I'm with you until the end of the line." Steve breathed, his words were barely audible over the racket of the helicarrier falling apart but Bucky definitely hear him.

At that moment, the floor beneath Steve gave way and Steve fell. Bucky managed to grip onto something to stop him from falling but he kept his eyes on Steve as he fell.

All of the fight had disappeared from him as he fell, he felt weak from the beatings, the loss of blood.

Steve was barely conscious when he hit the water but instead of trying to swim to stay alive, he sank under the water and went deeper and deeper.

He wanted Bucky to remember who he was to him and to remember what he was to Steve. Bucky had always stood up for Steve and had his back whenever Steve had gotten into any sort of trouble.

Bucky was the one pushing Steve to get a girlfriend, he was always trying to find a girl but because Steve had been so small and scrawny, every single girl that Bucky had presented to Steve had been turned off by him and wanted nothing to do with him.

Finding Lowri was a fluke. But it was such a good thing that he did. Bucky approved of her as soon as he met her. He said it was good that she made Steve smile.

* * *

 **I will be taking a break from updating next week as I am away in a dark corner of the UK with no internet...**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Happy Tuesday my lovely readers! Apologies for not updating last week, I was away on a week-long camp with the youth group I volunteer for. Anyway, back to updating!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Charlie lock." Steve panted through the pain._

 _"Okay, Cap, get out of there." Maria ordered._

 _"Fire now." Steve ordered. He grunted as he felt the bullet in his thigh shift slightly. He knew that he had very little chance of escaping the helicarrier without getting more hurt. His lift was grounded anyway. Maybe now it's time to give up his life one more time, and this time, it'll actually mean something._

 _"But Steve-" Maria began but Steve cut her off._

 _"Do it! Do it now!" Steve yelled, he knew that Maria would hesitate only slightly before following his orders. The helicarrier began shuddering violently within seconds as they turned their fire on themselves. "Hill?" Steve added._

 _"Yeah, Cap?" Maria asked quickly._

 _Steve breathed in deeply, definitely feeling the pain._

 _"Call Stark, get him to find Lowri, get her the care she needs. He'll care for her." Steve ordered as he struggled to his feet. He almost fell over again when the helicarrier was hit with something big._

 _"I'll do that." Maria said so quietly that Steve almost missed it._

 _"And tell her that I love her and always have." Steve breathed. Steve straightened up with Lowri on his mind and as he reached for the railings and held on tightly, he heard something large fall and when he looked, it was the supporting beam that had fallen on Bucky._

 _Even if the Bucky he knew was gone and he was now the Winter Soldier and had been given several missions to kill him, he's still Bucky. The guy who stuck up for Steve in every single fight he had, the guy who followed Steve to certain death only because they were friends._

 _Steve dropped down to the lowest level again and stumbled over to Bucky. He fell as the helicarrier tilted aggressively only to stumble back to his feet and grip the support beam._

 _Bucky looked at Steve as though he had grown another head._

 _Steve lifted the support beam using the only strength he had left. Bucky grunted as he pulled himself out from the support beam and he straightened up._

 _"You know me." Steve panted as he stepped away from the support beam._

 _"No, I don't!" Bucky yelled, he stumbled over to Steve and punched him hard with his metal hand, knocking Steve over._

 _But Steve got up again, proving that he's still as determined as ever. He reminded himself of how he was before he received the Serum, whenever he was pushed down, he got straight back up._

 _"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." Steve panted as the helicarrier tilted again and he stumbled but he kept his footing this time. Bucky punched Steve again they both fell but Steve didn't try to stop Bucky attacking him or to defend himself, he was simply too tired. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."_

 _"Shut up!" Bucky yelled, he knocked Steve over again and as Steve got back up to his feet, he pulled of the Captain America helmet to show Bucky his face, he dropped the helmet and it fell to the water below._

 _"I'm not gonna fight you." Steve breathed. He dropped his shield and it joined the helmet in the Potomac. "You're my friend."_

 _Bucky let out another roar and ran at Steve, Bucky pushed Steve over and jumped on top of him angrily. Steve hit his head against the fallen support beam hard and grimaced._

 _"You're," Bucky began, he punched Steve hard in the face, "My," he added, punching Steve again in the same place just below his eye, he broke the skin. "Mission!" Bucky finished as he punched Steve again, this time the bruise was already forming._

 _Bucky pulled back his arm and went to punch Steve but something stopped him, was Bucky recognising Steve?_

 _"Then finish it. Because I'm with you until the end of the line." Steve breathed, his words were barely audible over the racket of the helicarrier falling apart but Bucky definitely hear him._

 _At that moment, the floor beneath Steve gave way and Steve fell. Bucky managed to grip onto something to stop him from falling but he kept his eyes on Steve as he fell._

 _All of the fight had disappeared from him as he fell, he felt weak from the beatings, the loss of blood._

 _Steve was barely conscious when he hit the water but instead of trying to swim to stay alive, he sank under the water and went deeper and deeper._

 _He wanted Bucky to remember who he was to him and to remember what he was to Steve. Bucky had always stood up for Steve and had his back whenever Steve had gotten into any sort of trouble._

 _Bucky was the one pushing Steve to get a girlfriend, he was always trying to find a girl but because Steve had been so small and scrawny, every single girl that Bucky had presented to Steve had been turned off by him and wanted nothing to do with him._

 _Finding Lowri was a fluke. But it was such a good thing that he did. Bucky approved of her as soon as he met her. He said it was good that she made Steve smile._

* * *

Slowly, Steve was moved through the water, as if he was gliding. He felt himself being dragged onto the bank and he began coughing up the water he had ingested.

It was a few days in a hospital bed before Steve woke up. He was groggy and disorientated, and he heard music playing vaguely in the back of his head.

His entire torso was aching horribly and really sore, his leg was sore too.

The light hurt his eyes but after a few seconds, his eyes were adjusting and he could see blurry images. He let his head fall back onto the pillows behind him and he felt a tightness around his right eye, as if the skin was healing. He peered to the right of him and he spied Sam sitting in the chair next to the bed, reading a magazine.

"On your left." Steve said quietly.

Sam looked over abruptly and saw Steve's eye's flutter closed once more. He got up slowly and called for the doctor.

A few hours later, Steve's eyes opened again and this time they stayed open for about a half an hour before he felt exhausted again.

Sam was still beside him, reading a book this time.

"Where's Lowri?" Steve asked, he startled Sam, maybe because Sam wasn't expecting him to be awake or maybe it's his voice, he sounds croaky.

Sam closed the book and turned to Steve with a soft look on his face.

"I'm not too sure, I think someone named Tony Stark got her from the caves and took her somewhere safe." Sam said, he turned and reached onto the table behind him. "He came in about two days ago to see how you were. He didn't stick around for long, but he gave me this letter for you."

Sam passed the thin white envelope over to Steve who took it slowly.

"Told me I wasn't allowed to read it." Sam added.

"That sounds like Stark." Steve murmured. He slid his finger under the flap and gently tugged, the envelope flap came loose and he pulled the paper out. "Is there any water going around?"

"Don't you think you had enough? The paramedics found half the Potomac in your lungs." Sam noted as he reached for the plastic jug and cup. He poured Steve some water and passed it over. "They said it's a miracle that you survived."

"It's the serum." Steve answered after taking a sip of water. That small sip helped. He took another sip before Sam took it off him and Steve picked up the letter up again.

He unfolded it and an old photograph fell out onto his lap. He picked it up slowly and smiled, it was the photo he had passed to Lowri in the old bunker at Camp Lehigh. _She'd kept it._

Steve turned his attention to the letter, he recognised the spikey writing that Tony used.

 _Hey Capsicle,_

 _Just letting you know that Lowri is safe and sound at my place. I know you're in the same position, you know, knocked out and all, but you might just wake up before her, most probably, actually definitely you'll wake up before her._

 _I've got the best people in the world looking after her and making sure that nothing bad happens, but it won't, cause she's with me._

 _Pop over here whenever you feel like it. Pepper will be there. I'm in Malibu at the moment._

 _By the way, that photo of you, you look hilariously small there, big guy, it was in her pocket and I guessed it meant something really important to Lowri so I thought you should have it since she doesn't particularly need it… being in dreamland and all._

 _So, yeah…_

 _Bye._

 _Tony_

It was a short letter with hardly anything on it. But there was another letter inside the envelope, in a more curly and small handwriting unfamiliar to Steve.

 _Captain Rogers,_

 _My name is Pepper Potts and I'm the CEO of Stark Industries. I'm writing to tell you that Lowri Jones is in safe hands at the Stark Tower. I thought it was best I write to you as well, since Tony is likely to leave out everything important._

 _Lowri is in a coma but she is stable and constantly monitored. Her vitals look normal and has been since she arrived, she has her own floor and a medical team on hand to attend her._

 _From what I've been told, is that Hydra injected an unknown serum, possibly untested, into Lowri's bloodstream and it took over her memories and replaced them with new ones, horrifying ones. But we can't be too sure. But we think this is the reason why she acted badly with you._

 _Maria Hill has been over and explained everything to the medic team, after she asked for Tony's help on your behalf. Also, the papers that she took from the Hydra lab is also in our possession._

 _Lowri's current treatment is dialysis four times a week, this pumps the blood out of her body and cleans it before pumping it back in. We believe it is working because the levels of the serum in her body after each session drops. But we can't be sure until she wakes up, the medical team have advised that this treatment will last for at least four months._

 _When you are recovered and well enough, you are free to visit and stay however long you want. A room will be made available to you as soon as you arrive._

 _I hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Pepper Potts_

Steve dropped the letter onto his lap and looked down as he heaved out a sigh of relief, he tilted his head back and smiled.

"She's alive." Steve sighed, he turned his head and glanced at Sam. "She's still alive. Maria went to Stark straight away and got help."

"Can I read?" Sam asked, Steve passed him the letter and Sam quickly read through, skimming just Pepper's side. "This Pepper Potts left a number at the bottom."

"I'll call tonight. I want to make sure Lowri's alright." Steve said, he looked over at Sam who was now reading Tony's side of the letter.

Sam chuckled as he read, Steve looked down at the old photograph of himself and it felt weird. Why had Lowri kept this photo of him?

"Capsicle. Priceless." Sam laughed, Steve glared at Sam but he chuckled too. "Who's Pepper?"

"The CEO of Stark Industries. She and Stark have a thing going on… I don't really know." Steve sighed, he felt exhausted and he leant heavier against the pillows.

Sam looked over with a look of understanding, Steve was likely to be exhausted just by talking, his body had been through a lot.

"Do you want me to call her?" Sam asked gently, he glanced down at the letter. "I can call this Pepper woman and check up on Lowri, you need sleep. I'll have news for when you wake up." Sam said.

Steve nodded his head thankfully and closed his eyes, feeling too tired to fight the sleepiness.

"Yes, please."

Nat stepped into the room and her eyes settled on the large table in front of her, scattered with loose pieces of paper and then her eyes locked onto each and every person in the room, all scrutinising her. She spied the cameras and chose to ignore them.

She locked eyes with the committee general and he tilted his head at her.

One of the committee members approached Nat with a large bible.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" The committee member asked.

Nat laid her hand on the bible and looked up at the committee general as she swore. "I do."

She took her seat and stared up ahead of her, ready for the questions.

"Why haven't we heard from Captain Rogers yet?" The committee general asked, this cause a murmur to pass around the room.

"I don't know what's left for him to say. I think the wreckage in the middle of the Potomac made his point fairly eloquently." Nat replied, this wasn't the first time that she had been questioned.

"Well, he could explain how this country is expected to maintain its national security now that he and you have laid waste to our intelligence apparatus." The committee general. There was a long silence. "Where is Lowri Jones? She's the creator of the organisation that you took down."

"She's currently unavailable. I'm sure you've seen her records being published, she's lying in a coma because of Hydra." Nat replied. "She's not Hydra, she's good. Hydra was selling you lies, not intelligence."

"Many of which you seem to have had a personal hand in telling." The committee general replied.

"Agent, you should know that there are some on this committee who feel, given your service record, both for this country and against it, that you belong in a penitentiary, not mouthing off on Capitol Hill." Another committee member put in.

Nat smiled, "But you're not gonna put any of us in prison. You know why?" Nat asked.

"Do enlighten us." The committee member said slowly.

"Because you need us. Yes, the world is a vulnerable place, and yes, we helped make it that way. But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it. So, if you want to arrest me, arrest me. you'll know where to find me." Nat replied, and with that, she got to her feet and walked out, feeling smug.

Sam took up the letter again and got to his feet, he left Steve in a deep sleep and headed outside so he could make the call.

He dialled the number on his phone and he held the phone to his ear, the call rang three times before the other end was picked up and a perky female voice answered.

"Hello, this is Pepper Potts speaking." The woman said into the phone.

"Yeah, hey, uh, my name is Sam Wilson. I'm a friend of Steve Rogers." Sam said, he leant against the outside wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, is he there? I'm guessing that he's read the letter that was left?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, he woke up and read the letter but the big fight took it out of him so he's exhausted. He's gone back to sleep." Sam replied.

"Oh, we heard that he was injured and we wanted to know if he was alright. They weren't allowed to tell Tony anything when he visited, he's not family." Pepper said.

"He's fine." Sam said, "Uh, he was shot twice. One in the leg and the other in the back, that one went straight through. And he fell into the Potomac. Someone pulled him out, but we don't know who pulled him out, he took in a lot of water. The doctors said that it was a miracle that he was still alive."

"We saw the wreckage. It looked bad." Pepper said slowly.

"He's recovering. He's healing faster, with that serum he's got. I told Steve that I'd call because he needs rest." Sam said. "How's Lowri?"

"She's as good as she can be. We've brought in the best people to help with her situation and she's under constant monitoring. Her vitals look good and she's keeping steady levels." Pepper said, "We think that she's responding to the treatment but we can't be too sure. She'll need to be awake for us to understand properly."

"What's the treatment?" Sam asked slowly.

"Oh, we're using dialysis on her. Her blood gets cleaned four times a week, anymore would put dangerous pressure on her body, the other three days are used as resting days. Each morning and evening, a blood sample is taken from Lowri and tested. The percentage volume of the serum in her blood is dropping each day. Of course, we're not 100% sure on how effective the treatment is, the serum might have a lasting effect on Lowri and we won't know until she wakes up." Pepper said.

"It all sounds… complicated." Sam noted jokingly.

"It is. You should try running the programme." Pepper laughed.

"Well, I gotta thank you, on behalf of Steve. I know he'll be happy to hear any news on Lowri. He's worried about her and even though she tried to hurt him, they had some sort of strange, deep connection." Sam said.

"They've known each other for a long time." Pepper said slowly. "I've only met her a few times and the things that she has done for Tony and his family, well, she's remarkable." Pepper said.

"From what I've heard, she's done a few amazing things." Sam noted.

"I'm in her room now." Pepper said, Sam could hear papers rustling. "Nothing has changed as of yet. But we're hopeful. Please, can you let Captain Rogers know that he is welcome to stay for as long as he wants, regardless of what Tony says."

"I will do." Sam promised.

"The doctor who took care of her first believes that her coma will last for a few months and he has a theory that her healing rate would have dropped considerably, but of course that's just a theory." Pepper said, she paused, "Tony has always said that Lowri has helped him and his family so much, he said he owes it to her to do this."

"Lowri's helped a lot of people, apparently." Sam said. "I'm not surprised."

"Yes, she has." Pepper said, "Maybe it's a good thing, this coma, it gives Lowri a chance to heal properly and she can't jump into another mission."

"Maybe." Sam said, "I'll tell Steve everything that you've told me when he wakes up. I think it'll be a few days before he's up on his feet."

"Make sure that you mention that there is always a room here for him if he wants to be closer with her while she recovers." Pepper offered.

"I will do, and thanks for everything that you've done for her." Sam said before they hung up. He slid his phone away and he stepped back into the hospital. He walked slowly back to Steve's hospital room.

Steve was still asleep when Sam returned, so he took up his reading material again and waited for Steve to wake up.

Several hours later, Steve finally woke up, feeling more rested and in less pain. Steve spied Sam sitting beside him again.

"Did you call about Lowri?" Steve asked, he sat up in bed, groaning slightly as he moved to get comfortable, his stomach and back were still sore.

"I called, yeah." Sam said, "I spoke to Pepper about Lowri. There's good news and bad news."

"Then tell me the bad news first." Steve said in a serious tone.

"There's nothing seriously wrong, it's just that they've got a theory that her healing rate is slower because of the serum, and the doctor thinks that the coma is gonna last for a few months." Sam said.

Steve inhaled deeply. "What's the good news?" Steve asked.

"Her vitals are normal and she seems to be responding to the treatment they've giving her and it looks as though the serum levels in her blood are dropping each day." Sam replied.

Steve let out a sigh of relief and he tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling.

"When can I go see her?" Steve asked, he looked back at Sam.

"As soon as you're discharged." Sam said with a smile. "I did tell Pepper that it might be a few days before that can happen. You're exhausted from sitting up. But you're welcome there for as long as her recovery and after. She also said that Lowri had done a lot of things for Stark and his family."

"She's right. Lowri hardly does anything for herself. She's helped Stark's father plenty of times. She helped Howard just after the war when he landed himself in big trouble, getting herself in even bigger trouble, but she didn't think twice." Steve said slowly.

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Tired." Steve answered, "Not as much as I was earlier but I'm still tired. And sore. Did the doctor say when I can be discharged?" Steve asked. He was eager to be with Lowri, to check up on her, to see her.

"They said a few days at least." Sam said slowly. He hated to be the breaker of bad news.

"A few days?" Steve asked sharply.

"Only so the doctors know that you're healing as you should be. You still need rest. Besides Lowri isn't going anywhere." Sam pointed out.

Steve sank down lower on the bed but he didn't close his eyes, he refused to go back to sleep until he saw a doctor and then he fell asleep.

Sam was right, it was a few more days until the doctors approached Steve and informed him that the next day, he was free to go home. It had been a full week since Steve woke up and he was itching to leave and be on his way to New York.

Steve was alone when he was told and he thanked the doctors and nurses for their help and then he asked about the hospital bill and he was told not to worry about the bill because it had already been paid for. When he asked who, he was told 'Mr Stark.'

When Sam visited in the morning, Steve asked him if he could pop to his D.C. flat and pack a few things into a bag.

"Sure thing. Are you being discharged soon?" Sam asked, taking a seat.

"Tomorrow hopefully." Steve said, smiling at Sam. "Do you mind calling Pepper and telling her that I can leave tomorrow?"

"Course. I'll check what time with the doctors to let her know. How are you gonna get to New York?" Sam asked.

"My bike, probably." Steve said, he shrugged his shoulders and held back the wince when he moved his stomach.

"You can't even move your shoulders without being in pain, you can't drive your bike to New York." Sam said firmly.

"Fine, I'll get a cab or something." Steve said, "I just wanna be with Lowri. I need to see her in person."

"Even though she tried to kill you?" Sam asked.

Steve looked over at Sam, his eyes were reading something strange and the look was dark.

"That wasn't her." Steve said just as darkly. "I know her, I know Lowri."

"I was joking, Steve." Sam said gently, "I know you love her and you wanna be there when she wakes up. When I call Pepper, I'll see if she can send someone over to get you. That company is worth mega bucks."

Steve nodded his head and leant back in his bed with a content sigh. The pain was slowly leaving his body and he was thankful.

When Sam left that morning, he made the call and broke the news to Pepper. In the afternoon when he returned he told Steve that a car was being sent over to collect him tomorrow afternoon from the hospital.

Sam dropped off Steve's things when he visited the next afternoon when Steve was discharged from the hospital.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading and for being patient!**

 **Next update will be next week!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Happy Tuesday my lovely readers! I hope everyone's week has been great!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _When Sam visited in the morning, Steve asked him if he could pop to his D.C. flat and pack a few things into a bag._

 _"Sure thing. Are you being discharged soon?" Sam asked, taking a seat._

 _"Tomorrow hopefully." Steve said, smiling at Sam. "Do you mind calling Pepper and telling her that I can leave tomorrow?"_

 _"Course. I'll check what time the doctors to let her know. How are you gonna get to New York?" Sam asked._

 _"My bike, probably." Steve said, he shrugged his shoulders and held back the wince when he moved his stomach._

 _"You can't even move your shoulders without being in pain, you can't drive your bike to New York." Sam said firmly._

 _"Fine. I'll get a cab or something." Steve said, "I just wanna be with Lowri. I need to see her in person."_

 _"Even though she tried to kill you?" Sam asked._

 _Steve looked over at Sam, his eyes were reading something strange and the look was dark._

 _"That wasn't her." Steve said almost darkly. "I know her, I know Lowri."_

 _"I was joking, Steve." Sam said gently, "I know you love her and you wanna be there when she wakes up. When I call Pepper, I'll see if she can send someone over to get you. That company is worth mega bucks."_

 _Steve nodded his head and leant back in his bed with a content sigh. The pain was slowly leaving his body and he was thankful."_

 _When Sam left that morning, he made the call and broke the news to Pepper. In the afternoon when he returned he told Steve that a car was being sent over to collect him tomorrow afternoon from the hospital._

 _Sam dropped off Steve's things when he visited next afternoon when Steve was discharged from the hospital._

* * *

"You're probably glad to see the door close on this place." Sam said as Steve changed behind a screen.

"I am. I can't wait to leave." Steve answered, "Are you sure the car is coming?"

"Yeah. Pepper promised a car would be waiting for you." Sam said firmly. "And it should be here any minute now."

"I'm moving as fast as I can." Steve called out. He stepped from around the corner, now dressed in a loose t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants and he looked like his normal self.

Sam dealt with the discharge forms since Steve hasn't completed one before and within ten minutes, they were waiting outside, ready for the car.

"How do you know which car is for you?" Sam asked, he dropped Steve's bag at their feet as Steve leant heavily against the wall behind them.

An all-black, smart looking car pulled around the corner and then rolled to a stop just in front of Steve and Sam.

The driver's side door opened and a man got out, he wore a black suit and a white shirt and dark sunglasses, he stepped around the car and headed straight for Steve.

"Captain Rogers," The man said, lowering his sunglasses and he slid them off his face. "My name is Happy and I'm here to drive you to New York."

"Like that." Steve answered with a knowing glance at Sam. He stepped forwards and offered up his hand to shake. "Pleasure to meet you, Happy."

"Pleasure is all mine." Happy said, he dropped Steve's hand and ducked to grab Steve's bag. "Is this yours?" He asked before seizing the bag and opening the trunk of the boot.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me, Sam." Steve said, he smiled sat Sam who just shrugged.

"It was fun. Give me a call if you wanna do something like that again." Sam chuckled.

"I'll put your number on speed dial." Steve laughed, he gave a final wave before getting into the back of the smart black car through the open door that Happy held open for him.

Happy drove off at a fairly fast speed, heading for New York and for the first time in a few days, Steve was able to think. He wasn't surrounded by nurses and doctors enquiring about his health, or Sam, talking just to keep him distracted, he was able to think about Lowri.

How was she? Was she any better? He'd had no updates on her condition, was she still in her coma?

The drive sped by and the car pulled up in front of a familiar sight, the Stark Tower. Steve was shown to the elevator that was for private use only and only went to the living floors right at the top of the Tower.

Steve stepped in and Happy pressed a few buttons then stepped back and the doors closed, leaving Steve alone in the elevator.

It was clean and very modern, different from the last time he had been in here. The elevator was fast and within a minute the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal an open plan living room with a kitchen just to the side, very like what the room had been like a few years prior.

Steve stepped out and looked around, he spotted the woman sitting on the couch, on a laptop and talking quickly into the phone but as soon as Steve stepped out of the elevator, she turned and looked at him and a smile grew on her face.

She said goodbye to whoever she was talking to, put the phone down and closed the laptop. She got to her feet and stepped over to Steve with her hand outstretched for him to shake.

"Captain Rogers," She greeted him warmly. "My name is Pepper Potts, uh, Tony's not here at the moment, he's still in the Malibu home sorting a few loose ends out but Dr Banner is here. He's stepped in to help with Lowri."

Steve nodded his head and he dropped Pepper's hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am." Steve said warmly. "But is it alright if I see Lowri? I've been worried about her since I woke up."

"Of course, you can." Pepper said gently, she stepped past Steve and towards the elevator. "I think that it's best to explain about Lowri's condition while we're on our way down. The situation can be overwhelming, but everything that is going on down there is necessary."

"Necessary?" Steve asked, he held firmly onto his bag and stepped back into the elevator behind Pepper.

"Because Lowri is in a coma, there's a few things that she needs to keep her breathing. When someone is in a coma, their body shuts down and this means that they can't breathe by themselves, so Lowri isn't able to breathe without the aid of a machine, it pumps oxygen around her body. There's another machine that monitors her vital signs, and that gets sent to the lab next door to her room for analysing." Pepper explained, she pressed a button and they began moving downwards.

"So, a machine to keep her breathing and another to record her vitals?" Steve asked slowly.

"Yes. And there's a machine that pumps her blood out of her body to clean it and pumps it back in, but that's not attached today." Pepper added. "The notes that Maria Hill managed to obtain from Hydra, well, they gave a lot of information on Lowri. It seems like they've been studying her for many years."

"She was a threat to Hydra." Steve said quietly. The lift moved quickly and came to a stop. "It's rational for them to try to get her out of the picture."

"It seems so." Pepper said as the doors opened to reveal a wide hallway. "The serum that she was injected with was designed for her use only."

"What was she injected with?" Steve asked as they stepped out. Steve dropped his bag just outside the elevator and walked along with Pepper.

"Something called _AVG Type 1, product batch 0835._ " Pepper said, "The doctor that treated Lowri first thinks that they had been testing for years, gathering all sorts of information on her. They think that this might be the first batch they've tested on her. They got extremely lucky that they had the desired effects."

"Desired effects?" Steve asked numbly. He turned his head to look at Pepper as they walked down the hallway, there were two doors at the end and Pepper stopped just outside the closest door to them.

Pepper turned to him and fiddled nervously with her hands.

"Doctor Fine," She began, "The man who took primary care of her, he discovered the cause and treatment, he picked through the papers and came to the conclusion. Hydra injected Lowri with a serum made just for her, which infiltrates the mind and body, and when the recipient wakes up, the mind is flooded with new memories, which take control of the current and previous memories, these new memories are engineered to seem very real."

Steve stayed silent and his eyes glanced to the door once, other than that, he was captivated by what Pepper was telling him.

"We believe that the new memories in Lowri's mind are ones that are all about you." Pepper said, "And not the good memories. There's a good chance that all the good memories that Hydra knew about are gone forever and all she knows is what they put into her head. From what Hydra put down in those notes, she could have been a potential weapon against you. But, for all we know, those notes could be fake."

"So, there's no definite diagnosis?" Steve asked slowly.

"Unfortunately, no, but we believe the treatment is working as when her blood is tested each morning, the serum levels in her blood is lower each time." Pepper said. "Are you sure that you want to see Lowri before you settle in?"

"I want to see her." Steve said firmly. He braced himself and he was ready to see Lowri in her current state.

Pepper nodded her head slowly and then pushed the door open, the beeping met Steve's ears before he even stepped into the room.

Steve stepped in first and he almost regretted it instantly. The beeping that greeted him ended up coming from the machine that was keeping Lowri alive. Firstly, his eyes looked around the equipment surrounding the hospital style bed and he was taken aback. They were huge machines and there were wires sprouting from them.

His eyes settled on Lowri. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes fell upon the woman who had seemed invincible almost as long as he had known her. She lay on the hospital style bed on her with her head propped up by pillows. There was a thick tube attached to her inner left elbow, another thinner tube attached to the back of her hand and another strapped to her mouth.

Her long hair was hastily tied away from her face, it looked greasy and lank, she looked extremely thin and almost deathly pale.

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked from just behind him.

Steve kept his eyes on Lowri, his mind racing with reasons to think that seeing her like this was okay. He wanted to step towards her, to touch her, to feel her smooth and soft skin on hers.

"I know this is a huge shock to see her like this. I was appalled at how she looked when she was brought to us. But her condition has improved."

Steve nodded his head slowly and tore his eyes from Lowri, his mind was still reeling when he settled his eyes on Pepper.

"Thank you for caring for her." Steve said, "I'm glad that you and Tony are willing to do this for her."

"Lowri has helped us a few times in the past. She's saved my life and I'm more than happy to repay the favour in anyway." Pepper said quickly, "You look pale, Captain. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Steve turned from Lowri and looked at Pepper.

"I shouldn't be on my feet. I've been ordered bed rest for the next few days but I had to see Lowri." Steve said sheepishly.

Pepper nodded her head.

"Let me show you to your room." Pepper said, she turned from Lowri's room and stepped out, Steve stepped out after her and followed Pepper down the hall towards the elevator. "Lowri is under constant supervision so she's technically never alone."

Steve nodded his head as he grabbed his bag and the doors opened and they both stepped in.

"It's a good thing that you're here, Captain." Pepper said, "If-when Lowri wakes up, we won't really know if she has improved or not. You're the only one that can do that."

"How?" Steve asked.

"It depends on the way she reacts to you when she sees you." Pepper said, she pressed another button and the elevator moved down. "If she reacts violently and tries to protect herself from you then we know that the treatment isn't working and we'll have to find a new solution. But if her reaction is diluted, then we know for sure that the dialysis is working."

"What will happen if she reacts badly to seeing me?" Steve asked grimly.

"We don't know yet, Captain." Pepper replied.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Pepper looked up at Steve carefully.

"The buttons for the elevator are all here, this one is for Lowri's recovery suite, this one is for the main suite which is where you met me. Bruce's and Tony's labs are up here but this button is to your floor." Pepper explained, pointing out each of the buttons.

"My floor?" Steve asked. Pepper nodded her head as she stepped out of the elevator. Steve stepped out after her.

"I know you and Tony have had your differences, so I've had a locksmith up here to change the locks manually." Pepper said as she led the way across the small wooden hallway to the thick wooden door. There was a key sticking out of the lock, Pepper twisted and pulled the key out as she opened the door. She passed the key to Steve and let him step in first.

"Whoa." Steve breathed. Just through the door, revealed an entire apartment set out on the floor. He stood in the living area, there was an expensive looking couch with one of those new model televisions, a glass coffee table set in front of it, rugs and wooden floors and all sorts decorating the walls. Just to the first of the couch, there was a kitchen, spacious and shiny.

The view that met him was his beloved New York City.

"Your bedroom and bathroom are just through those doors. I hope everything is to your liking and you can decorate however you want. If you have any questions, I'm only a few floors up and Jarvis is in every room. The kitchen is fully stocked but you're always welcome to join us to eat. Bruce is just a floor below you and Tony should be along in a week or so."

"Thank you for everything." Steve said gratefully. Pepper nodded her head and stepped back out the door and closed it behind her, leaving Steve in this strange new apartment.

Steve dropped his bag where he stood and stepped closer to the kitchen, it was u-shaped and had an island set in the middle with three breakfast stools set up ready. Steve took a seat in one and turned from the island.

Hydra had done their research on Lowri and they had been compiling it for decades. They've been planning her downfall and using her like this, as a weapon, was a jab at both her and Steve.

It was hard for him to digest this new bit of information, Hydra had been planning this for decades, not just Project Insight but to take down Lowri.

Steve split his time in the Stark Tower almost evenly. There's a gym situated near the middle of the Tower and it's the size of two floors with practically everything inside and he spent about half of his time in the gym, working out his frustrations.

The other half of his time, he spent sitting in the chair that was beside Lowri's bed, watching her carefully for any sign of movement.

Tony arrived about a week and a half after Steve and immediately, he and Bruce started working together on Lowri's situation.

"Have you been keeping a record of what you've found on her while I've been gone?" Tony asked as soon as he stepped into the lab next to Lowri's room.

"Yeah. It's all in that box over there. Why?" Bruce asked. He looked up from his computer momentarily to point out the box and he dropped his eyes back down to the newest blood results. "Serum levels dropped by 2%. Better than this morning."

"Good. And because I can remember Ri saying that she talked to someone about testing her so she can understand better about herself." Tony said, he dropped the clipboard in his hands onto the desk in front of him and he looked up at Bruce. "Has she spoken to you?"

"Yes." Bruce said, he looked up and leant back in his seat. "She called me up like a week or so after the whole Loki drama."

"So, do you wanna do it?" Tony asked, he leant forward on the desk and looked at Bruce expectedly.

"You want to do more than just take blood? Would she be okay with that?" Bruce asked cautiously.

"Yeah. I'm sure she would be. The old dinosaur wants to know more about herself and I'm sure she'd prefer someone she knows studying her." Tony said, he gestured to himself and then at Bruce. "And when she wakes up, we can give her whatever we've got and talk through them. It'll help her understand."

"What are you going to give Lowri?" Steve asked as he stepped through the door with a concerned look on his face.

Tony and Bruce looked up at Steve at the same time and then shared a glance. They had to be careful, Steve took the subject of Lowri very seriously and he seemed fragile whenever she was mentioned.

Bruce stepped forward.

"Lowri mentioned to both Tony and I before all this, that she wanted to have herself tested, to find out more about herself and her DNA and her powers." Bruce began, Steve set his eyes on Bruce.

"And we were thinking that we'd run tests while she's here. Like, right now." Tony finished.

"You want to test Lowri?" Steve asked.

"Only a little bit more." Tony said quickly. "Hydra has done most of the blood work, I mean they discovered loads when she was with them for that one night, like how her core temperature is supposed to be like four times hotter than it should be and her cells are reproducing three times faster than average and that she's infertile. We want to expand on it, we can find out so much more about her. Hydra didn't find out where Lowri's fire power comes from, maybe we can pin point that?"

"She's infertile?" Steve asked numbly. "No, you can't not while she's unconscious."

"How else? She squirms when she's awake, you know." Tony said.

Steve gave Tony a withering look and then he looked away from Tony and Bruce.

"I'm not happy about it. If it hurts her or something-" Steve began.

"Would he hurt her?" Tony asked sharply, he gestured at Bruce and then he gestured to himself. "Would I hurt her? She's my God Mother for crying out loud."

Steve looked at him strangely, wondering why Tony said that Lowri was his God Mother.

"For some reason, Dad thought it was a good idea to put the never-aging woman as my sole carer just in case something happened." Tony explained. "But, she only watched from the distance."

Steve shook his head and visibly gave up. He knew Tony and Bruce would never hurt Lowri.

A month after the fall of S. H. I. E. L. D., it was clear that there was unrest in the world as numerous events began rolling out. Most of the bases that were under S. H. I. E. L. D.'s control went under as S. H. I. E. L. D. and Hydra battled for dominance.

Now that the world's security was at risk, the Avengers began gathering once more in Tony's Tower. Bruce and Tony were already in the Tower to care for Lowri, Steve was there too. Clint and Nat turned up together after their short freedom from S. H. I. E. L. D. and the last to arrive was Thor.

He had news of Loki's death and that he wanted to return the sceptre to Asgard to bury it in his brother's place.

At first, there was nothing for them to do but wait until all the drama unfolded but then Maria Hill came to them, she had intel on a possible Hydra base used for storing and operations. Mostly because they were eager to get back out in the field, they decided to take the bite.

All wanted to go, except for Steve. He didn't want to leave Lowri just in case she woke up or something went wrong and when Tony and Bruce tried to explain that Lowri wouldn't be alone, he left the room.

Nat found him and prompted him to come along with the mission, she told him that it was highly unlikely that Lowri would wake up and that she would probably still be in the same position when they returned and that he needed to move his ass.

In the end, Steve went along with them. The first mission was to scour the base for possible weapons, including Loki's sceptre but the sceptre wasn't there. The base was overrun with Hydra agents and once the Avengers infiltrated the base and initiated the fight, those who were Hydra threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The entire team felt as though someone was missing and it took a little bit longer to get into the spirit of the mission and Steve took the longest to adjust but once he was in the groove, he felt normal again. It was only when they were a few minutes out from the Tower when he remembered Lowri when he shrunk back into himself again.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading, I hope you enjoy!**

 **I will update next week.**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This story only has three chapters left after this chapter! I can't believe how quick this has gone!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _A month after the fall of S. H. I. E. L. D., it was clear that there was unrest in the world as numerous events began rolling out. Most of the bases that were under S. H. I. E. L. D.'s control went under as S. H. I. E. L. D. and Hydra battled for dominance._

 _Now that the world's security was at risk, the Avengers began gathering once more in Tony's Tower. Bruce and Tony were already in the Tower to care for Lowri, Steve was there too. Clint and Nat turned up together after their short freedom from S. H. I. E. L. D. and the last to arrive was Thor._

 _He had news of Loki's death and that he wanted to return the sceptre to Asgard to bury it in his brother's place._

 _At first, there was nothing for them to do but wait until all the drama unfolded but then Maria Hill came to them, she had intel on a possible Hydra base used for storing and operations. Mostly because they were eager to get back out in the field, they decided to take the bite._

 _All wanted to go, except for Steve. He didn't want to leave Lowri just in case she woke up or something went wrong and when Tony and Bruce tried to explain that Lowri wouldn't be alone, he left the room._

 _Nat found him and prompted him to come along with the mission, she told him that it was highly unlikely that Lowri would wake up and that she would probably still be in the same position when they returned and that he needed to move his ass._

 _In the end, Steve went along with them. The first mission was to scour the base for possible weapons, including Loki's sceptre but the sceptre wasn't there. The base was overrun with Hydra agents and once the Avengers infiltrated the base and initiated the fight, those who were Hydra threw down their weapons and surrendered._

 _The entire team felt as though someone was missing and it took a little bit longer to get into the spirit of the mission and Steve took the longest to adjust but once he was in the groove, he felt normal again. It was only when they were a few minutes out from the Tower when he remembered Lowri when he shrunk back into himself again._

* * *

A month and a half later, they were all at the table again with more intel from Maria Hill on Hydra that turned out to be highly accurate once more, planning their second mission. It was a frustrating meeting as no one could agree on anything to start the planning.

Once the meeting broke up, everyone went off to do their own thing. Steve went off down the gym, Bruce went to his own lab to work on some samples, Clint and Nat went off together and Tony went to the lab beside Lowri's room.

He was sorting through the paperwork they'd assembled working on Lowri's case and he was near to the monitors displaying the feed from the cameras in her room. The constant beeping coming from the machine that monitored Lowri's breathing began beeping faster and shallower.

Tony looked up at the monitor and watched with wide eyes as Lowri's hands curled into fists slowly and then opened again, her eyes fluttered slightly and then her eyes opened.

"Jarvis, get Banner down here. He's gonna pee himself." Tony said without taking his eyes away from the screen.

"Yes, sir." Jarvis replied. "Shall I let Captain Rogers know?"

"Not yet." Tony answered.

Lowri felt like complete crap. Her limbs felt extremely heavy and made of lead and every inch of her body ached. She was so tired, she could barely summon enough strength to open both eyelids.

The first thing she saw was the blinding white light and fear took hold of her stomach and heart. Was she still in Hydra's clutches?

Her chest tightened painfully and she struggled to breath, she closed her eyes again and squeezed them hard against the bright light. She unclenched her fists and opened them with her palm facing downwards and she felt a soft fabric underneath her hands.

She let herself relax upon feeling the soft fabric underneath her hands but after that it felt dull. In fact, all of her senses were dulled considerably.

There was a gentle beeping close to her ear but it was as though her head was underwater and the sound was distorted.

Lowri opened her eyes again, slowly this time, and the bright light wasn't as bright as it seemed at first. Her eyesight was clouded over and fuzzy but it was slowly becoming clearer.

She tried to lift her arms off the surface but she couldn't, she was too tired already.

"Lowri?" A voice sounded beside her and Lowri looked up slowly. She couldn't pin point the voice but her mind was too jumbled to even think. She could already feel herself slipping away off to sleep.

Within seconds, she was gone. It was another day before she woke up again and this time she was less groggy and slightly more awake.

The walls around here were decorated in an array of creams that soothed the mind, there was two doors and a large dresser was beside one of them and there was a vase of bright yellow daffodils balanced on top, adding a spruce of colour. There were three machines beside her, all huge and scary looking.

"Lowri?" Another voice was beside her, different this time. Lowri looked up slowly, her mind took a few more seconds to catch up slowly. "Do you know where you are?"

Lowri looked around the room groggily and tried to sit up but her arms buckled under her and she fell back onto the surface underneath her.

"Whoa, you're still weak, Lowri." The voice was becoming familiar, but Lowri couldn't pin point the voice. Instead of feeling the tiredness nag at her, she felt slightly more awake but still exhausted.

Lowri looked up at the person beside her and looked into his face, trying to recognise him. it was Bruce.

"Bruce?" Lowri asked slowly. She eyed him carefully, he looked tired and pale and stressed.

"Good. You recognise me." Bruce said, he sat down beside her and smiled gently. "You're in the Stark Tower. You've just woken up from a coma."

"A coma?" Lowri asked slowly.

"Yes. Your body willingly shut down and you went into a coma to preserve your life. What is the last thing that you remember, Lowri?" Bruce asked gently.

Lowri looked down at the white sheets covering her body and she could see how thin she was. She tried to think. What was the last thing that she remembered?

"Hydra… a cave… Nick..." Lowri whispered, she looked up from the bedsheets and locked eyes with Bruce. "And Steve." She froze up when she spoke Steve's name, it was as though she was choking on his name.

Her breath came quicker and she felt her throat and chest tighten, it became harder to breathe and the machine beside her began beeping louder than ever before and it hurt Lowri's ears and it made her panic even more.

"Breathe, Lowri. Breathe." Bruce instructed. He moved from the armchair and took a seat on the bed beside her and looked into her eyes. "Inhale." Bruce instructed, he breathed in deeply to show her how easy it could be. "And exhale." He added, breathing out.

Lowri's eyes locked on him and she tried to lower her breathing to his and she found it difficult to do so.

Once her breathing had slowed considerably and she could control it again, Lowri looked back up at him and nodded to show that she was okay now. The machine beside her quietened considerably and the beeping seemed to be in time with Lowri's calmer breathing.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in but we can help you." Bruce said slowly.

"Did I really try to kill S-him?" Lowri asked, she found herself unable to speak Steve's name.

"No." Bruce said firmly, he kept his eyes trained on Lowri. "You didn't. Judging from what has been said, you only tried to hurt him instead of killing him. You managed to regain control over yourself before you could do any damage that lasted."

"So, I did hurt him?" Lowri asked quickly. She tried to sit up again but she found herself extremely tired.

"No, uh. I worded that wrong, sorry." Bruce said quickly, he looked apologetically at her. "Steve's unhurt and he's here in the Tower."

Lowri's eyes widened.

"I need to see him. I-I need to make sure you're not lying to me." Lowri insisted. She propped herself up onto her elbows, straining from the effort and it drained energy from her.

"No." Bruce said firmly. Lowri looked at him sharply. "You've just woken up. You're disorientated and you're exhausted. Normally, I'd be too scared to tell you no, but right now, I'm telling you no."

"Why?" Lowri asked sharply.

"Because you're exhausted." Bruce answered, "You need to rest."

Lowri sank back against the pillows and breathed out heavily.

"You'll have to trust me. Steve is fine." Bruce said firmly, "I'm sure you're feeling confused about how you got here and for how long you've been here, am I right?"

Lowri nodded her head slowly.

"Good. I'm going to tell you what's happened to you but you must let me know if things get too much for you and I'll stop, okay?" Bruce asked.

"Okay." Lowri replied, her voice broke on the one word and it sounded just as painful as it was. Bruce sensed her pain and flinched before he moved back to the armchair and bent over, he opened the door of the bedside table and it opened with a suction sound.

The door swung outwards and Lowri looked down, surprised to see bottles of water neatly lined up.

"Tony's thought of everything. There's a mini-refrigerator in here." Bruce said with a laugh, he unscrewed the cap and lifted the bottle of water to her lips, he urged her to drink and instantly, the water soothed her cracked lips and soothed her sore throat on the way down.

He took the bottle away and screwed the cap back on, he placed the bottle on the bedside table and looked at her.

"Firstly, you must know that S. H. I. E. L. D. has fallen and Hydra was responsible. During the downfall of S. H. I. E. L. D. you were captured by Hydra and tortured, and they took some DNA samples, we can either assume that they did this to study you further or to experiment on or with. Also, Hydra injected you with a serum of unknown substances, it was designed, we think, to alter your previous memories of Steve Rogers into ones that would make you see things that have never happened nor will happen." Bruce said, he paused as he waited for Lowri's reaction.

Lowri kept her breathing steady and calm as she listened to Bruce, but on the inside, her heart seemed to be pounding hard and she already felt the panic take hold and double by the second.

"We think that Hydra wanted to use you as a weapon against Steve as the serum targeted only memories that co-sided with him. The serum made you see him as a threat that you needed to stop instead of the kind man he is."

He paused again, gauging her reaction but her heartrate merely jumped.

"You regained control of yourself before you could deal any real damage to Steve, which is lucky. But, just in case of you flying off the handle, Natasha Romanoff knocked you out. Then you fell into a coma." Bruce continued.

"There was a doctor on-site who provided you with primary care until Tony was able to get you out and into a proper medical environment. We believe that you willingly went into the coma, to shut your body down and allow yourself to heal properly. This doctor thought of using dialysis as treatment and instructed us to set you up."

"Is this all okay? You look lost." Bruce asked slowly.

Lowri shook her head and looked into Bruce's eyes.

"No. I'm good. Keep going." Lowri instructed.

"This machine has been monitoring your breathing while you've been unconscious, now that you're awake, you won't need to be attached for much longer." Bruce explained, he pointed to the machine closest to her on her left-hand side, "This machine carries out the dialysis, five times a week. It cleans out your blood and puts it back into your body. It's a lengthy process but it's working, as far as we know." This time, he pointed to the machine that wasn't attached to her, instead it was pushed back against the far wall.

"You're on a basic drip as well, just to keep you sustained." Bruce finished.

"So, aside from being captured by Hydra, being tortured and having an unknown serum injected into my bloods, and being in a coma, and dialysis, is the serum gone?" Lowri asked.

"No." Bruce answered. Lowri felt deflated. "Your blood is tested every day for serum levels and they have been dropping consistently and as of this morning, your blood only contains less than 5%, which we believe to be a safe level." Bruce said.

"Safe enough to meet him?" Lowri asked quickly, she was still unable to say Steve's name.

"No." Bruce said firmly, "We don't know if the dialysis has worked. We predict that the serum will be out of your blood in the next few days, but it might be a little bit longer now that you're awake. And of course, we don't know the full effect of this serum."

Lowri sighed and leant her head back against the pillows and she looked down at her body. She was incredibly thin, unhealthy thin. Her skin looked pale and grey, and looked as though it was paper thin.

"How long have I been in that coma?" Lowri asked.

"Little over three months." Bruce answered calmly.

Lowri's eyes widened and a defeated breath escaped her lips, she felt her body sink further onto the bed and she looked up at Bruce with wide eyes.

"I've been unconscious for three months?" She asked slowly. "What's happened to the world now that S. H. I. E. L. D. is gone?"

"It's different. You've got plenty of time to ask questions later, Lowri. I think it's time you rested. You've just had a load of information unloaded onto you." Bruce said, he got to his feet and looked down at her. "Doctor's orders. Get some rest."

Lowri smiled gently and lay her head back on the pillows.

"Yes, doc." She replied before Bruce left the room.

Lowri felt the tiredness feeling creep back up on her but she reached for the bottle of water just to the side of her and she managed to grab it, but she used up a lot of energy just trying to get the lid off.

Judging by this, she would require months of physical therapy to get back to her usual state. She screwed the cap back on and instead of putting it back on the table, she left it beside her and fell back asleep.

Every day, Tony and Bruce visited her as well as the five other doctors on her case, just to keep her updated and to hook her up onto the dialysis machine.

They informed her that they had worked out a plan, she was going to be on dialysis for another month and she's not allowed to leave the bed, after her month of bedrest, she would then be put through physical therapy and a series of tests to determine if her fire was affected. She was glad that she had been unconscious for the first three months of her treatment, dialysis is really painful.

Her sessions were three days a week instead of five and after the third, Lowri was used to the pain. On the fourth session, she didn't flinch as the huge needle went into her arm.

During these sessions, Tony and Bruce sat down with her and explained how they had been conducting research on her on their own terms. By the end of the first week, Lowri understood herself better.

They'd discovered that her core temperature had been five times hotter than the average human, which should have killed her but somehow, she's fine. Now, thanks to the serum and its aftereffects, her core temperature has dropped to four times hotter instead of five.

And that her fast healing ability had been slowed just by a bit and that whatever controlled the fire that she had, it came from a tiny abnormality on her DNA.

They saved the worst one for last, she's unable to bear children.

She's already guessed that, since living for as long as she had and wondering why she never caught, but hearing it confirmed was horrible.

Bruce and Tony happily informed Lowri that they had managed to pin point the exact location on her DNA where the fire mutation took place, apparently, it's a tiny spec on her DNA strands but it's had a massive impact on her. It's nice to know where it all comes from, finally.

"We're not exactly sure what the serum has done to your skills, but we will be doing further testing when you're strong enough." Bruce explained.

"Just try not to set us on fire, please." Tony smirked.

"I'll try not to." Lowri laughed. She looked up at Bruce. "When I can see him?"

Him, meaning Steve.

"Not yet." Bruce said, "I want to wait until you're stronger. I want your meeting to be controlled in every way possible."

"It's been a week, Bruce. I'm strong enough." Lowri said firmly. "You know I am, why are you putting it off? You need to know how I'm going to react."

"Give it another week, you're still weak and you're still on dialysis." Bruce reminded her.

"I'll be on dialysis next week." Lowri replied.

"One week." Bruce promised.

It was one full week before Bruce and Tony came in together to tell her that Steve was waiting in the hallway outside for their go-ahead.

"Are you sure you wanna do this now?" Tony asked as he took a seat on the armchair beside her bed.

"Yes." Lowri said firmly, "I need to see him."

"Okay. The other five doctors will be coming in to observe your reaction and there won't be a physical barrier blocking you from getting at Steve." Bruce said.

"Then tie me down, I don't want to hurt him more than I already have." Lowri said quickly.

"Do you happen to have any fireproof rope?" Bruce asked, turning his head to Tony.

"What do I look like? A convenience store?" Tony asked, but he rose to his feet and headed for the door.

Bruce and Lowri shared a look as Tony stepped out and closed the door behind him firmly.

"Are you definitely sure about doing this today?" Bruce asked, he stepped in front of her bed and looked down at her. Lowri shuffled in the bed and then pulled herself up to demonstrate that she has gained strength and that she was ready.

"I'm tired of telling you I am." Lowri sighed.

"Good." Bruce said with a smile, "It means you're coming back to yourself.

"I never left." Lowri replied quickly, "Maybe I did a month ago."

Again, Bruce smiled and took a seat on the edge of the bed and he looked at her carefully.

"Okay, so like I said before, there won't be a physical barrier between you or Steve and the other doctors on your case will be in the room too. It's a good chance for them to see what you're like in person. I think they're a little bit intimidated by you." Bruce said gently.

Lowri laughed and it felt good, that was her first proper laugh in what feels like forever.

"I'd like to think I'm a nice person." Lowri said just as Tony stepped into the room and hastily closed the door behind him.

He pulled some rope out of his pocket and passed it over to Bruce straight away.

"I thought it would be best if I hid it from Cap. He might protest." Tony breathed out as he took his seat on the arm chair again.

Bruce got to his feet and then began trying Lowri's knees to the bed. Then he tied her wrists together and she slid them under the blanket.

"Tie me to the bed." Lowri instructed, "Just in case I jump off or something."

"You're tied down by the knees." Bruce pointed out.

"I don't care. I don't know what I'll be like and you said yourself, you want this to be controlled as much as it can." Lowri insisted. Bruce sighed, but he did tie her down properly.

"Now, are you ready?" Bruce asked, tucking the rest of the rope into his pocket and he looked down at her.

Lowri tested her mobility and she nodded her head.

"Nope." Lowri replied, but then she looked up. "But it's better now than later on. I can't wait that long. I need to know."

Bruce nodded gently and then turned to the door after sharing a look with Tony. He called in the other doctors who filed in and stood on the outskirts of the room and then a tall man filled the doorway and Lowri's breath caught in her throat.

This man had effectively haunted her since the 1940's, in person and in memory. He stepped through the doorway and further into the room with his blue eyes locked on her.

He was dressed in his usual workout clothes, obviously he had been in the gym. His shirt clung to his chest and was drenched with sweat, his damp hair was plastered to his head.

Lowri felt a tightness in her chest and she felt restricted, not by her new bonds but by his eyes.

She pressed hard against her restraints and she could feel the tough rope biting into her skin and she knew bruises would already be forming. She knotted her eyebrows as she fought against her bonds, she shook her head violently as she pressed herself back against the bed and she grit her teeth.

She doesn't want to hurt him. _She doesn't want to hurt him._

Lowri dropped her eyes to the bedding in front over her stomach and she grimaced as she fought between the battle going on inside her head.

One part of her was telling her to get as far away from him as she could, it was telling her that if she can't leave then she must fight him and win. But then another part of her was fighting against those feelings, how could she want to hurt him? She was so sure she loves him.

Steve said nothing to her but he watched her carefully.

"Well, she hasn't killed him yet." Tony said slowly, he glanced between Steve and Lowri and then he leant forward and looked at Lowri, ignoring the daggers Steve sent his way and the sharp look from Bruce. "That's good. She can cope with this, she's strong-"

"Thanks for the good words, Tony, but she has a name." Lowri said in a sharp tone.

" _Fine._ Lowri's strong. You're strong. I think you have enough control over yourself not to have to use restraints." Tony said.

"Restraints?" Steve asked in a tight voice, speaking for the first time.

"I asked for them." Lowri replied, her eyes locked on Steve but she spoke to Tony.

"You didn't need them." Tony replied, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't want to harm him more than I already have." Lowri replied. She found it hard to keep her eyes on Steve but somehow, she was locked where she was. She was still battling in her head. "You saw my reaction when he walked in. I need these restraints."

Lowri finally tore her eyes from Steve but not before she saw the look of disappointment when he realised that Lowri hadn't said his actual name, only 'him'.

"And you will have time to improve but we will need to take small steps but right now, you're clearly exhausted but you won't tell us. Steve, if it's alright with you, we'd like to talk with Lowri first." Bruce said.

Steve nodded his head slowly and he kept his eyes on Lowri as he backed out of the room, the door closed behind him and Lowri relaxed.

She felt sore where the bonds had strained against her skin and as Bruce untied her, they both saw the blue and purple bruising already starting to show.

"You should have told me." Bruce said quietly.

"They don't hurt." Lowri replied.

Bruce shook his head at her and he sat on the edge of the bed again.

"This will take time. You've got two more weeks of dialysis and then you're off. Then we can start the physical therapy with you and you'll be on the road to recovery." Bruce said,

"Thank God." Lowri breathed with a laugh. She flexed her wrists and grimaced when a shot of pain went up her right wrist. "I can only hope that I can get past this thing with him."

"Do you want to explain it to us?" Bruce asked gently.

Lowri nodded her head slowly and pulled herself up further in the bed.

"Yeah." She said, "It's like there's a fight going on inside me, on half is telling me to fight him, that I should be scared of him and when I first looked at him, I felt terrified of him and that's never happened before." Lowri said.

Bruce and Tony didn't say anything. Obviously, they didn't know what to say. For Lowri to tell that she was terrified of Steve when they both know that Lowri loved Steve but this was difficult.

"But then, the other half of me was telling me not to be scared of him, that he would never hurt me but it was hard to distinguish between the two of them." Lowri added.

"We can set up visiting hours for him. He can visit with someone and then we can slowly work around this little rock in the road." Bruce said, "There's a part of you that wants to get past this."

"I hope so." Lowri breathed out quietly.

* * *

 **So, what do you guys think?**

 **I'm sorry for the slightly late update, I don't have a lot of free time to myself!**

 **Three more chapters!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **First of all, I'm very sorry about not updating last week... so I will be updating twice today! Here is the first instalment. Second, after today, there will be only TWO more chapters left of this story! Thank you to all who has been with me since Book 1! (also sorry for the delays in updating...)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel character that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Well, she hasn't killed him yet." Tony said slowly, he glanced between Steve and Lowri and then he leant forward and looked at Lowri, ignoring the daggers Steve sent his way and the sharp look from Bruce. "That's good. She can cope with this, she's strong-"_

 _"Thanks for the good words, Tony, but she has a name." Lowri said in a sharp tone._

 _"Fine. Lowri's strong. You're strong. I think you have enough control over yourself not to have to use restraints." Tony said._

 _"Restraints?" Steve asked in a tight voice, speaking for the first time._

 _"I asked for them." Lowri replied, her eyes locked on Steve but she spoke to Tony._

 _"You didn't need them." Tony replied, he narrowed his eyes at her._

 _"I don't want to harm him more than I already have." Lowri replied. She found it hard to keep her eyes on Steve but somehow, she was locked where she was. She was still battling in her head. "You saw my reaction when he walked in. I need these restraints."_

 _Lowri finally tore her eyes from Steve but not before she saw the look of disappointment when he realised that Lowri hadn't said his actual name, only 'him'._

 _"And you will have time to improve but we will need to take small steps but right now, you're clearly exhausted but you won't tell us. Steve, if it's alright with you, we'd like to talk with Lowri first." Bruce said._

 _Steve nodded his head slowly and he kept his eyes on Lowri as he backed out of the room, the door closed behind him and Lowri relaxed._

 _She felt sore where the bonds had strained against her skin and as Bruce untied her, they both saw the blue and purple bruising already starting to show._

 _"You should have told me." Bruce said quietly._

 _"They don't hurt." Lowri replied._

 _Bruce shook his head at her and he sat on the edge of the bed again._

 _"This will take time. You've got two more weeks of dialysis and then you're off. Then we can start the physical therapy with you and you'll be on the road to recovery." Bruce said,_

 _"Thank God." Lowri breathed with a laugh. She flexed her wrists and grimaced when a shot of pain went up her right wrist. "I can only hope that I can get past this thing with him."_

 _"Do you want to explain it to us?" Bruce asked gently._

 _Lowri nodded her head slowly and pulled herself up further in the bed._

 _"Yeah." She said, "It's like there's a fight going on inside me, on half is telling me to fight him, that I should be scared of him and when I first looked at him, I felt terrified of him and that's never happened before." Lowri said._

 _Bruce and Tony didn't say anything. Obviously, they didn't know what to say. For Lowri to tell that she was terrified of Steve when they both know that Lowri loved Steve but this was difficult._

 _"But then, the other half of me was telling me not to be scared of him, that he would never hurt me but it was hard to distinguish between the two of them." Lowri added._

 _"We can set up visiting hours for him. He can visit with someone and then we can slowly work around this little rock in the road." Bruce said, "There's a part of you that wants to get past this."_

 _"I hope so." Lowri breathed out quietly._

* * *

Now that Lowri was fully awake and she had been able to see Steve, she was now allowed to have other visitors.

Nat was the first visitor she had and she quickly came into the room with a bag of popcorn and a cup of tea for Lowri, sat down in the armchair and quickly filled in Lowri that she had been on the news, on Capitol Hill.

The tea was for Lowri and the popcorn was for Nat, mostly because she was peckish and she liked living in the Tower because it had mostly crappy food inside it.

Lowri's next visitor was Clint, who also brought tea but this time, the tea was much better and Lowri asked him to make her tea instead of everyone else.

Thor is yet to visit, which is disappointing. Lowri knew that he was in the Tower and she didn't know what for, no one will tell her.

Bruce and Tony visited her separately, but always at least once a day.

And Steve, he visited her each day without fail and always with Tony or Bruce beside him, just in case Lowri flips out at him.

It was hard, each day was difficult because as soon as he walked into the room, Lowri felt the terror press onto her chest and it was hard to breathe. That terror would pass once she convinced herself that Steve couldn't hurt her, wouldn't hurt her.

Because she's still weak, she's still hooked up to the oxygen machine and onto the drip that gives her the nutrients she needs.

After a week, she was taken off this because the doctors had decided that Lowri's body needed to heal on the inside and she had to eat solid food.

This, proved to be difficult.

Lowri was unable to stomach anything other than a glass of water every few hours or a cup of tea. It was horrible for her, Lowri could feel the hunger but the doctors wouldn't allow the drip to be put back in because her body was still healing.

Her weight was dropping steadily and it was only the tea and water that sustained her.

Clint began teasing her about the tea, he said it was a British thing.

Her stomach just rejected any food she tried to eat and by the time a week had passed, she knew it was a losing battle. Tony and Bruce talked to the doctors again but they were set in their way, it was a hard no.

Lowri remained hopeful throughout.

Something seemed very strange to her when she woke up a day or so on from seeing Steve to find that no one was around.

She saw no one that day except for one of the doctors stepped into the room give her the usual check-up. And that was it, the next day though, Nat came into Lowri's room with a smile on her face but a heck of a split lip and a black eye, acting as if nothing had happened.

Lowri wanted to ask Nat where she had gotten that shiner but she thought that Nat would tell her in her own time, but she never did.

One day, near the two-week mark after no solid food, Nat visited Lowri with another one of Clint's tea for her and she took a seat on the arm chair beside the bed.

"Okay, I have a question and I want you to answer as honest." Lowri began, Nat looked up at her with a smirk on her face.

"You're not my boss, remember?" Nat asked coyly.

"I was never your boss. I just had a huge impact on the organisation." Lowri replied, smirking back at Nat. "But, honestly, please?"

"Fine." Nat breathed out.

"Why are you all in the Tower?" Lowri asked. "I'm sure you're not all here just for me. Thor hasn't even shown his face. I'm going crazy wondering where you guys went last week. You came back with a black eye!"

Nat looked down at the floor with her mouth clamped shut.

"Where did you all go? Why are you all here? You've gotta give me something, Nat." Lowri added.

"We're searching for Hydra." Nat said quickly. Lowri's eyes widened and she pushed herself up in her bed and grimaced as her underworked muscles groaned.

"H-Hydra?" Lowri asked numbly.

"We're looking for Hydra. They have Loki's sceptre in their possession. They raided the Fridge. There's a lot of good men down because of Hydra." Nat explained.

"Damn. I knew we should have destroyed instead of storing." Lowri hissed.

"Now all of S. H. I. E. L. D. knows that the Fridge isn't just for testing." Nat said slowly, she hadn't been let on in the secret either.

"Sorry." Lowri said slowly.

Nat shrugged her shoulders and pulled an 'it's an okay' face.

"Thor wants to take Loki's sceptre back to Asgard. Loki gave his life to help save the different realms and Thor wants to give him a state funeral, and he wants the sceptre to be buried with him." Nat explained. "And taking down Hydra is a plus."

"Did Thor know that we had the sceptre?" Lowri asked.

"He had a feeling that we did." Nat replied. "This was our second mission."

"Do you get your intel from Jarvis?" Lowri asked, she glanced around the room, as if actually looking for Jarvis.

"No. We get our intel from Maria Hill. Somehow, she's got her ear pressed a door somewhere, getting very accurate intel." Nat said.

"She's good at what she does. What's she doing now then?" Lowri asked.

"Working for Stark, actually. She pops in sometimes. You might be able to see her." Nat said with a smile. The smile dropped from her face, "Look, I'm sorry I kept this from you, but Steve said it was best not to tell you because he thought it might be too much for you, hearing about Hydra so soon after waking and Tony and Bruce have agreed."

"It's okay, Nat. I understand." Lowri said gently.

Over the next week, Steve visited daily with Bruce and they stayed for longer. Lowri still had a moment or so at the beginning of each visit where she would be paralysed with fear but it would pass and Lowri was reminded why she felt so torn.

And then, two weeks after Lowri had been taken off the drip, Thor visited her with a plateful of chicken breast.

Lowri was surprised to see him but she smiled up at him from her bed.

"Does this not remind you of how we first met?" Thor asked as he stepped closer and presented her with the plateful of chicken breast.

Lowri's stomach tightened and churned at the sight of the food and she knew that she would be sick as soon as she would try to eat. Regardless, she took the plate off him and gestured to the seat beside her bed.

"In a way, yes." Lowri said with a laugh. "But I'm not captured."

"No, but you delivered food to me, so I am repaying the favour." Thor said warmly as Lowri put the plate in front of her. "But you don't look so sure."

"I'm starving, actually." Lowri breathed out, "But I can't keep anything down. Thank you, though."

Lowri took up a piece and though her stomach churned at the thought of eating, her mind was screaming at her to eat. She popped the piece of chicken into her mouth and her mouth watered.

She managed to swallow and eat another piece but on her third piece, she began feeling queasy. Lowri pressed a hand to her mouth as she dropped the piece of chicken, Lowri threw herself off the bed, surprising both herself and Thor as she rushed into the bathroom, just as the door to her room opened and Steve stepped in.

Thor was on his feet in seconds as she dashed into the bathroom, Lowri hugged the toilet bowl and threw her guts up. There was barely anything in her stomach, except for the few bites she just had so there was a lot of retching going on.

Her throat stung, her eyes watered and her stomach ached. She heard someone walk up and pause in the doorway and she had a good guess of who it was.

He had seen her a few times try to stomach food but since she was unable, he had also seen her move with surprising speed to the bathroom to throw up.

"Lowri?" Steve asked slowly. Lowri hunched her shoulders as she leant back from the toilet, eyes watering and her throat burning.

Their eyes connected and Lowri had images cross her eyes momentarily of a different Steve, of the one that would hurt her. Lowri pressed her lips together as she tried to suppress the fake memories. She turned away from him and flushed the toilet, she used the sink and the wall to pull herself up, ignoring Steve's outstretched hand.

She caught the look of hurt that passed over his eyes when she ignored his hand but she couldn't find it in her to touch him just yet, it's still too soon. She has yet to speak to him directly.

"Is it the food?" Steve asked as Lowri turned her back on him and quickly rinsed her hands off in the sink. "Did you try to eat?"

Lowri turned around and looked up at him and she felt a lump in her throat but she swallowed it as her eyes settled on him. Every time he showed her care, it mildly surprised her.

"I tried to eat." Lowri replied stiffly. For a long moment, Steve stared at her stupidly but once he realised that Lowri had spoken to him, he looked so relieved and his eyes never left hers.

The lump in her throat disappeared and she felt proud of herself for the small step she had taken towards recovering. Though she only spoke four words, these were the first words she had spoken to him since she collapsed in that cave.

Steve stepped back into the room to allow her to pass by without making contact, Lowri walked numbly, the shock of speaking to him had taken a toll on her body. She climbed back into bed and quickly covered her legs.

Her knees were shaking, but she was also wearing stupid pyjamas. Tony bought her clothes because all of hers was in her flat in DC and was under lockdown on the government's orders so it was inaccessible. Since she was only moving around her room, he had gotten her Captain America pyjamas.

Tony quoted that 'Lowri needed to get used to being around Steve, so what other way is better than wearing his merchandise?'

Lowri was ashamed at the fact of wearing them in front of Steve because he must feel awkward about it too.

Thor was still on his feet, his face full of concern. Obviously, he had not known of her current situation.

Lowri reached for the small bottle of water beside her bed and tried to twist the cap off.

"I do not understand." Thor said slowly, "Are you not recovering?"

"No." Lowri said with a sigh, she couldn't open the bottle and she tossed the bottle away from her but Thor picked it up and twisted the cap off for her, he offered the bottle and she took it gratefully. She took a small sip and placed the bottle on the bedside table. "I can't eat anything. My stomach rejects food every time I try something."

Steve was still in the doorway leading to the bathroom, looking at her with eyes filled with concern but he didn't move.

"I'm sorry for not thinking." Thor said.

"It's not your fault, Thor." Lowri replied quickly.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Steve asked, Lowri's eyes shot to him and he slid his hands into his pockets. "Clint mentioned that you can keep tea down."

Lowri nodded her head slowly and Steve looked down in disappointment. Was he trying to get her to speak to him again? He tried to cover the disappointment but Lowri saw. Steve moved for the door slowly.

"Yes, please." Lowri said, addressing him.

Steve froze and looked up at her with surprise in his eyes, but he smiled gently at her and continued for the door with Lowri's eyes trained on him.

"I'll be right back." Steve said, he closed the door behind him and Lowri relaxed her entire body.

Lowri looked down at herself as she leant back against the pillows. This not eating thing was slowly killing her and she couldn't do anything about it. She could count her ribs, her collarbone and shoulders stuck out horribly and her arms and legs were stick thin. She had no idea how long she could last. Maybe this was her end?

"Does this happen regularly?" Thor asked, drawing Lowri's attention away from her sickly thin appearance and back to him.

"The throwing up?" Lowri asked slowly.

"Yes." Thor replied.

"Only lately. I only throw up when I've had small bits of food. I can't keep anything down, even plain food. Only water and tea will work for me." Lowri said, she dropped her eyes. "Thank you for bringing the food, though. It's nice to see you again."

Thor smiled warmly at her and maybe it was because the smile came from a God, but she actually felt something warm creep up on her.

"You will recover, Lowri. Stark and Banner will do everything in their power to return you to your health. If only I could go back home, there might be something back on Asgard that can help." Thor said, he cocked his head at her. "And I'm sure that Captain Rogers will not let you die."

"That's the thing, I can't die." Lowri said, "I've been shot, thrown from high places and stabbed so many times that I've lost count. If I don't start eating soon, I'm not sure how long I'll last. I might just waste away to the point of existence and hang on by a thread."

"They will think of something. There's always another way." Thor said. "I see that you are cold with Captain Rogers. Has something gone on without my knowing?"

"Where have you been hiding, Thor?" Lowri asked with a laugh. "Hydra injected me with a serum of their own design and gave me visions about him. Every time I see him I get that feeling that I'm scared of him."

"How can you be scared of him?" Thor asked quickly. Lowri seemed to retreat backwards but she knew it was good to talk about her condition.

"Because of the serum." Her voice broke but she persevered. "It affects me. I'm half torn between knowing that he would never hurt me and being terrified that he will. It's a hard battle and I hate that it's going on for so long."

Thor pressed his lips together and watched her display the anxious habits, fiddling with the bedsheets, rubbing her forearms and not meeting his eye.

"Time will heal you." Thor said carefully, "It might take a long while, but you can do it."

"I can't even say his name." Lowri sighed, she looked up at Thor with a sad look in her eyes, "That's the first time I've spoken to him since before I went into that coma. I'm putting him through so much pain and I can't do anything to help. I just want things to go back to how they were before we found out Hydra was still kicking around."

"Maybe you needed a minor set-back." Thor said, Lowri looked up at him sharply. "You have been so strong for so many years. Maybe this is the Universe's way of putting things right."

"Minor set-back my ass." Lowri grumbled. Thor eyed her strangely. "This doesn't seem minor at all. I can't eat, I can't take any food in. This seems life-threatening."

"You are recovering. And recovery entails all sorts of challenges that you must endure to heal." Thor said, "And I believe that you will make a full recovery."

That's what they all say, that she'll make a full recovery but she knows full well that she is _very far_ from any sort of recovery.

"I can only hope you're right." Lowri sighed, Thor smiled at her. "If it's alright with you, I'm gunna have a nap."

"Of course, of course." Thor said quickly, he took up the plate and got to his feet. "Enjoy your nap, Lowri and rest well."

Thor left her and Lowri settled back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. This is not a minor set-back.

Lowri reached for the remote that was beside her bed and she used it to turn down the lights until there was only a soft glow illuminating the room and she closed her eyes, letting herself relax.

She gets exhausted easily and needs naps pretty much all of the time to survive. Her muscles are severely underworked and she needs to start training, but right now, she's resting.

Steve approached the room with a cup of steaming tea in his hand, he had taken so long because he had sought out Clint to make the tea since Lowri is very particular about her tea and he doesn't know how she likes her tea. Instead of Clint making it, Clint showed him the way that Lowri liked her tea and made Steve make it.

He didn't hear voices but he knocked and opened the door, surprised to see the room in almost darkness and he spied Lowri's sleeping body curled up on the bed.

Steve couldn't bring himself to wake her up, so he left the cup of tea on the bedside table beside the remote and he left the room, closing the door as quietly as he could and he headed for the lift as a smile grew on his face.

He was tired of visiting Lowri and not being able to speak to her as freely he wants, to not be able to touch her and hear her laugh but he always puts on a brave face for her.

However hard it is for him to get through this, he's not the one trying to get one set of memories out of his head. Lowri has to recover physically and emotionally, her body has to recover from the abuse Hydra gave her, the strain her body went through during her treatment and she has to deal with the effects of the serum.

That's enough stress for a lifetime, and Lowri's seen more than one lifetime.

The lift took him back up to the main floors and he stepped out into the large open living space. The others were already sat at the table in front of the big windows, talking about their next mission with the intel from Maria Hill.

"Did she like the tea?" Clint asked as Steve neared, he looked up from the floor with a smile on his face.

"She was asleep when I went in, so I left it on the side." Steve answered.

"Ugh, cold tea." Clint said, he pulled a face and turned back to the table.

"Why are you smiling for?" Nat asked as she narrowed her eyes at Steve suspiciously.

"Lowri spoke to me today." Steve said as if he didn't believe it. Nat's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"What?" Nat asked slowly.

"The old girl actually spoke to you?" Tony asked jokingly.

"Yeah, she did." Steve said with a smile.

"Well, she's making progress." Tony said.

* * *

 **There we have it, chapter 18!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Steve approached the room with a cup of steaming tea in his hand, he had taken so long because he had sought out Clint to make the tea since Lowri is very particular about her tea and he doesn't know how she likes her tea. Instead of Clint making it, Clint showed him the way that Lowri liked her tea and made Steve make it._

 _He didn't hear voices but he knocked and opened the door, surprised to see the room in almost darkness and he spied Lowri's sleeping body curled up on the bed._

 _Steve couldn't bring himself to wake her up, so he left the cup of tea on the bedside table beside the remote and he left the room, closing the door as quietly as he could and he headed for the lift as a smile grew on his face._

 _He was tired of visiting Lowri and not being able to speak to her as freely he wants, to not be able to touch her and hear her laugh but he always puts on a brave face for her._

 _However hard it is for him to get through this, he's not the one trying to get one set of memories out of his head. Lowri has to recover physically and emotionally, her body has to recover from the abuse Hydra gave her, the strain her body went through during her treatment and she has to deal with the effects of the serum._

 _That's enough stress for a lifetime, and Lowri's seen more than one lifetime._

 _The lift took him back up to the main floors and he stepped out into the large open living space. The others were already sat at the table in front of the big windows, talking about their next mission with the intel from Maria Hill._

 _"Did she like the tea?" Clint asked as Steve neared, he looked up from the floor with a smile on his face._

 _"She was asleep when I went in, so I left it on the side." Steve answered._

 _"Ugh, cold tea." Clint said, he pulled a face and turned back to the table._

 _"Why are you smiling for?" Nat asked as she narrowed her eyes at Steve suspiciously._

 _"Lowri spoke to me today." Steve said as if he didn't believe it. Nat's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open._

 _"What?" Nat asked slowly._

 _"The old girl actually spoke to you?" Tony asked jokingly._

 _"Yeah, she did." Steve said with a smile._

 _"Well, she's making progress." Tony said._

* * *

Lowri needed to consume something more than just tea and water, she was slowly wasting away. Why was her body rejecting food? Was it because she had been on dialysis for so long and often? Was it because she hadn't eaten in so long? The question was on everyone's lips but no one, not Bruce or Tony or any of the doctors, had an answer.

As the time passed, she wondered how long she could last.

A week.

Lowri lasted one more week before she seemed to spiral out of control, it had been a total of three weeks since she woke up from her coma. She felt weaker than ever before and she couldn't move from the bed. As she declined, the group almost cancelled their third mission but they still carried it out when Lowri insisted.

When they came back, they found her in worse state

She was weaker than ever before and she was having trouble distinguish between dream and reality.

Tony visited her before he retired to bed because she was still awake on the day of their return.

"How are you feeling, Ri?" Tony asked as he took a seat in the arm chair and looked over at her with concern.

"Not too sure. I think I'm getting worse." Lowri said slowly. Her voice was thinner and weaker, her hair was limp and greasy and she had zero energy.

"Don't say that, you're not getting worse." Tony said, he was clearly lying through his teeth and Lowri was sure that it was only for his benefit.

"Please, Tony." Lowri said quietly but her words seemed to ring through his ears. "Don't make this any harder, you and Bruce have done all you can to help me recover but maybe I'm just not supposed to get better from this."

"Lowri, don't say stuff like that." Tony insisted. He looked at her intently and Lowri looked up at him. "You know Bruce and I won't let anything happen to you. Steve won't let it happen, he cares about you too much." He inhaled deeply. "Do you think Dad would want me to give up on my God Mother this easily?"

His words were going in one ear and going out the other, the words were joining together and they made no sense.

Lowri's body suddenly felt as light as a feather and her head seemed to be going from side to side.

Tony went on to talk about how Steve becomes withdrawn before and after their missions and he only ever came alive during the missions when he was distracted.

Lowri's mind was reeling and she could feel herself spiralling out of control, not from listening to what Tony was saying, but because she could feel her breathing come far too quickly and it seemed as though the walls were closing in on her swiftly.

"Tony." Lowri said in a tiny, pathetic voice. She might have only imagined saying his name because Tony kept on talking, now about how Nat and Clint missed her usual bossy-ness.

The room began spinning and Lowri tried to grasp the bedsheets between her fingers for some stability but they slipped between her fingers.

"Tony." Lowri tried again, but this time her voice was quieter and she tried to sit up but as soon as she forcefully moved her body, she felt all the blood leave her head and nausea set in.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and slumped to the side as she fell into the blackhole waiting to swallow her up.

"Shit!" Tony yelped, he shot to his feet and he caught her before she could fall off the bed. He quickly lay her back and stared down at her as all the meagre training Bruce had given him in life-saving and first aid left his mind and all he could do was call her name and shake her for a sign of life.

"Jarvis! Get Bruce down here now!" Tony yelled.

Lowri was so thin, it was unbelievable. A simple shake might break her bones.

Her body began convulsing on the bed and Tony let go of her immediately.

"Jarvis!" Tony yelled again, he didn't hear the response from the AI, all of his attention was focusing on the frail woman in front of him and he had no idea what to do, his hands didn't want to work and then suddenly, he was shoved away and the resident doctors stepped in.

They began working feverishly and commands were yelled out and Tony backed up against the nearby wall to keep out of the way. Sweat began forming in beads on his forehead as the doctors began working on her.

One asked for permission to order something for her.

"Yes, yes, anything she needs. Get it." Tony replied numbly.

Bruce burst through the door and he saw the gaggle of doctors gathered around Lowri's bed and then he spied Tony and went over to him.

"What happened?" Bruce asked urgently.

"She collapsed when I was talking with her. She just collapsed. I don't know what happened." Tony said quickly.

"You'd best get out of here. Go tell the others. Warn them that this might be it." Bruce said gravely. He shoved Tony towards the door, "I'll stay here and help, we'll try to stabilize her."

Bruce gave Tony another shove out of the door and close the door as Tony fell into the wall opposite the door.

Tony was there for seconds, just leaning against the wall in shock.

"Tony?" Tony turned to the voice, still finding his surroundings odd. He looked up at Steve, who was watching him carefully. "Why're you out here? I thought you were with Lowri?"

"I couldn't stay in there. Uh, we need to talk." Tony said slowly. "She's collapsed. I was talking to her and she just collapsed. The doctors are in there with Bruce, they're trying to stabilize her." Tony breathed out.

"What?" Steve asked as his eyes widened and his jaw locked.

"Bruce says this might be it. But I don't believe that." Tony said quickly, Steve took a step backwards and he paled. "Bruce will help."

Steve pushed himself from the wall and pushed open the door to Lowri's room. Tony heard the commotion but he didn't want to go back in or see in, he turned on his tail and left.

Steve stared with wide eyes into the room, it was manic. The doctors were rushing around Lowri's bed and Steve only managed to have a quick look before Bruce ushered him from the room.

He had caught a glance of Lowri in the midst of the doctors and it had shocked him.

Steve moved slowly back to the elevator and headed back up to the main floors and out onto the open living space and he found Tony in the kitchen, clenching a countertop tightly, his hands were going white.

Tony looked up at Steve as he approached and Steve saw the hurt in his face.

"I've told the others. They're in the meeting room, still in shock." Tony said through gritted teeth. Steve swallowed hard and stepped closed to Tony, he leant against the counter opposite from where Tony was. "I can't do anything to help her."

"She's happy with what you have done." Steve said in a monotone voice, he locked his jaw and closed his eyes. Is this the end of the woman he loves? They'd just got their footing before this thing with Hydra, now that's wasted.

"But it's not enough. She could be dying down there." Tony said, he looked up. "I'm sorry, Steve."

Steve dropped his eyes to the floor and he sighed.

"It's okay. I know this might be it and however much I'm hurting, I know I'll survive if she does go. I'm used to losing people close to me." Steve said, "But I'm not sure how you'll take it."

"Since I became Iron Man, she's been in my life and I'm still not sure how much she's affected my life since I was a kid." Tony said in a defeated tone. "She wasn't around when Mom and Dad died but when I asked her about it, she said that she thought I could manage alone, she thought I was a tough kid and could handle everything."

"She was friends with your mom and dad, and she's had a huge impact on my life too." Steve said slowly. He looked up at Tony, "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now."

"What did she do?" Tony asked softly.

"Many things." Steve answered, "She fought to have me to be the first man chosen for the Super Soldier program. She helped me get to Austria, and I ended up saving over four hundred men. And she saved my life."

Tony's eyes never left Steve's and he silently urged him to carry on.

"When I got my serum, it turned out that I was gonna be the only Super Solider. We were sent off to different safe houses scattered around the city and Ri and I were sent to one together. I didn't know this until recently, but Ri was under orders to protect me at all costs." Steve began, "She took this order to heart. During the night, another Nazi broke into our safe house and tried to find me. Luckily for me, Ri is a careful woman. She was awake when the Nazi got in and she took him on herself. She took a fair beating before she managed to subdue him."

Steve paused and smiled.

"Ri was critised by so many men for taking on the assassin herself instead of calling me in, these men were just ordinary soldiers and some were officers, but she stood her ground and our commanding offiver agreed with her. But, Ri did get hit. Not just cuts and bruises, she took a shot in the stomach, that's what woke me up. She had blood on her nightgown and a small hole, but she insisted she was fine. Of course, now I realise that she was shot and she played it off. She played it off well."

"Being brave." Tony said slowly, "She doesn't change."

Steve shook his head slowly and he agreed. Lowri hasn't changed over the years.

"I'm gonna go… hit a punch bag or something." Steve said slowly, he pushed himself from the counter and passed Tony, Steve headed out of the kitchen, his heart growing heavier with each step as he realised that Lowri might not come back from this.

"Steve." Nat stepped out of the meeting room, where Steve had just walked past in a complete daze. "How are you?"

Steve sighed as he stopped and turned around to face Nat. She looked as though she had shed a few tears.

"Not too good." Steve said slowly.

"She'll pull through. She can't get any lower." Nat said quickly. "You know how she is."

"What if she doesn't?" Steve asked slowly. "I don't want to think of it but what if this is her ending? What if this is the way she goes?"

"It's not. She can't. Lowri won't die. She can't die." Nat said firmly. "I don't know a world without Lowri anymore."

"Neither do I." Steve said quietly and in a defeated tone.

Nat was silent for a few seconds and then she looked back up at Steve.

"Go rest, okay?" Nat asked.

"No. I don't need to rest. I'm going down the gym, I gotta work through some stuff." Steve said, he made to turn back around and away from Nat but she grabbed his wrist and tugged. He turned back to her quickly.

"Don't go to the gym. You need to rest. Go put your head down." Nat said firmly. She tried to smile but right now, no one wants to smile.

Steve wanted to shake his head, to refuse but Nat looked at him in a way that made him turn on his tail and head for his room. He lay down on the bed with his head on the pillows, he kicked off his shoes and turned on his side, away from the window with the views of his beloved New York.

He wished to dream of nothing, to have a dreamless sleep to ensure that he actually gets sleep but instead, his dreams were filled with a 1940's Elizabeth Jones, the woman able to capture his heart so easily. He dreamt of her careless smile as she talked with Peggy Carter at the breakfast table, he dreamt of watching her through the window to her little office with her head bent down over a piece of paper, he dreamt of her stern eyes watching him and the other soldiers, he dreamt of her in her civvies with her beautiful hair down over her shoulders.

For two long days, Bruce and the other doctors worked hard to stabilize Lowri and to think of a way to bring her back.

Lowri had to have a pipe inserted into her stomach and this would allow liquid food to be delivered straight to her stomach and this seemed to be working, this was put in a day after Lowri collapsed and on the second day, it was clear that improvements were being made.

There was colour in her cheeks and it was as though she was glowing, her fingernails had a better response when pressed and she looks much better already.

Bruce hadn't wanted to leave Lowri until he was sure that Lowri was better. Nat forced him to leave, to shower and rest. She insisted that it was clear that Lowri was improving and that it was only a matter of time before she woke up.

It was one in the morning when Nat forced Bruce to leave, Nat huddled on the armchair with a magazine and a blanket draped around her. As the hours ticked by, Nat began feeling tired and she dozed off, dropping the magazine.

At four in the morning, she was jolted awake when she heard a female voice saying something in a confused and dazed voice.

"What happened?" Lowri asked in a dazed voice, she felt slightly stronger but still weak and exhausted, as if she could sleep for another week.

Nat sat up quickly, shifting the blanket and she stared stupidly at Lowri, unable to say anything but tears formed in her eyes and a tear drop escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek.

"Nat? What time is it? Why are you crying?" Lowri asked slowly.

"Because we all thought this was the end for you and I'm so happy to see that you're not gonna kick the bucket." Nat said, she laughed and sat up straighter. "It's like four in the morning and you collapsed, it was touch and go for a few hours."

"I think I can remember that. I was trying to tell Tony." Lowri said, then the door opened and Bruce stood in the doorway, relieved looks on his face.

Nat shot to her feet and headed for the doorway where she spoke in low tones and then Nat left the room, leaving Bruce alone.

"Let's take this slow." Brice said, smiling at Lowri before he took a seat on the armchair.

"Where did Nat go?" Lowri asked.

"To let the others know that you're awake. It was touch and go with you a few times over these two days." Bruce said slowly. "Tony was with you when you collapsed for the second time and he sounded the alarm."

"We put in a tube that goes straight to your stomach and that way, we can be sure that you are getting food. You're staying on that until you're strong enough to take in solid food by yourself. We don't know how long that will take." Bruce continued.

Bruce continued talking, about the new plan for her that he and the other doctors had worked out over the last two days and it was a lot of information to take in.

"I'm sorry." Lowri said quietly, Bruce looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry for making you work so hard. I didn't mean for all of this to happen when I turned myself in."

"No, you just wanted to protect Steve and give him enough time to get away." Bruce said knowingly. "I know this is hard for you, but I don't think, both as a medical advisor and as your friend, I don't think that you'll fall any worse than you already have. You can only get better form now on."

"H-How is he?" Lowri asked. She was surprised at how strong her voice was compared to how it had been before she collapsed again.

"He's fine. He's very worried about you and I'm sure that he will be relieved to hear that you're awake but you and he will need to understand that we're going to wait for a few days before you can see each other again. You know, just in case you relapse again." Bruce said.

He looked at her with a calming look and Lowri felt no need for a panic attack.

"This will take time. You need to take the time to heal both physically and emotionally, Lowri, we have time." Bruce added.

"All I'm doing is causing him more pain." Lowri said simply, she waited for a few seconds before looking up at him. "I know the images I have in my head of him that make him seem like such a bad guy are fake, I know they're not real but whenever I see him, I see those images and all I can do is hate and fear him but when I'm away from him, I know they're not real and I yearn to be with him."

"And given time, you'll be able to feel that yearning when you are face to face with him." Bruce said firmly.

"I just wish that part was over." Lowri whispered.

"You'll get through it, Lowri. The hard part is always the worst." Bruce said gently.

Lowri looked down at herself and she sighed, her eyes caught onto her skinny wrists and she saw a black bracelet on each wrist.

"What are these?" Lowri asked as she looked down at her wrists, they were a cold metal on the outside but when they touched her inner arms, it was warm.

"Maria Hill brought these over when she heard that you had collapsed again. And when you set fire to one of the doctors when he tried to make the incision to put in that feeding tube, she slapped these on your wrists and poof. Your fire stopped burning the poor guy."

"So, I can't use my fire anymore?" Lowri asked, slightly disheartened. Have they finally found a way to control her fire?

"We don't think so." Bruce said, "Maria said that you should be able to manage the fire better. She said that the metal is tailored to your DNA, and the fire, and that gives you a level of control over your fire. Once you've recovered enough to start training again, we can test them out fully but for now, they stop you from burning things in your sleep. It seems you've gotten more powerful."

"How?" Lowri asked slowly.

"Maria won't divulge her secret." Bruce said simply.

Lowri had to wait three more days before she and Steve were allowed to see each other again and she was shocked by two things.

Firstly, his appearance. Instead of the strong, brave man she had been expecting, with a smile on his face and a story ready to fall out of his mouth, instead he was pale and he watched her with eagle eyes. Not only did his appearance scare her, it worried her.

Secondly, she was surprised at herself because normally, the first ten seconds of seeing Steve means that her stomach and heart is gripped and twisted with fear but upon seeing him this time, she never had those moments of fear.

It was amazing, her relapse had done so much, maybe it had reset her body so she no longer felt terrified of him. She still couldn't say his name, but she needed to take baby steps.

Steve looked like he was in a lot of pain, he probably was. She knew that she had been cold and distant in the past few weeks and it had hurt him a lot.

He visited every day for the next few weeks, just to get re-acquainted with her and it was always with either Bruce or Nat.

Lowri found herself able to speak to him better and it comforted her deeply, to know that she was finally on the road to recovery.

* * *

 **I will update next week (hopefully) Two more chapters after this one!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers! There is only _one_ more chapter in this story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"I just wish that part was over." Lowri whispered._

 _"You'll get through it, Lowri. The hard part is always the worst." Bruce said gently._

 _Lowri looked down at herself and she sighed, her eyes caught onto her skinny wrists and she saw a black bracelet on each wrist._

 _"What are these?" Lowri asked as she looked down at her wrists, they were a cold metal on the outside but when they touched her inner arms, it was warm._

 _"Maria Hill brought these over when she heard that you had collapsed again. And when you set fire to one of the doctors when he tried to make the incision to put in that feeding tube, she slapped these on your wrists and poof. Your fire stopped burning the poor guy."_

 _"So, I can't use my fire anymore?" Lowri asked, slightly disheartened. Have they finally found a way to control her fire?_

 _"We don't think so." Bruce said, "Maria said that you should be able to manage the fire better. She said that the metal is tailored to your DNA, and the fire, and that gives you a level of control over your fire. Once you've recovered enough to start training again, we can test them out fully but for now, they stop you from burning things in your sleep. It seems you've gotten more powerful."_

 _"How?" Lowri asked slowly._

 _"Maria won't divulge her secret." Bruce said simply._

 _Lowri had to wait three more days before she and Steve were allowed to see each other again and she was shocked by two things._

 _Firstly, his appearance. Instead of the strong, brave man she had been expecting, with a smile on his face and a story ready to fall out of his mouth, instead he was pale and he watched her with eagle eyes. Not only did his appearance scare her, it worried her._

 _Secondly, she was surprised at herself because normally, the first ten seconds of seeing Steve means that her stomach and heart is gripped and twisted with fear but upon seeing him this time, she never had those moments of fear._

 _It was amazing, her relapse had done so much, maybe it had reset her body so she no longer felt terrified of him. She still couldn't say his name, but she needed to take baby steps._

 _Steve looked like he was in a lot of pain, he probably was. She knew that she had been cold and distant in the past few weeks and it had hurt him a lot._

 _He visited every day for the next few weeks, just to get re-acquainted with her and it was always with either Bruce or Nat._

 _Lowri found herself able to speak to him better and it comforted her deeply, to know that she was finally on the road to recovery._

* * *

About three weeks after her relapse, Lowri was sat in her new room. Bruce and Tony agreed that she was well enough to be taken out of the recovery suite and she was given an entire floor of her own, like everyone else but she was still limited to walking around her room and the adjoined bathroom.

The room is spacious and instead of painted in the calming whites and creams of the recovery suite, her room was adorned in the warmest of reds and every time she looked at the walls, she felt warm.

Now that she was stronger than before, Tony had given her gadgets so she can keep up on the news and she was typing on a tablet, eager to find out about what had happened to her S. H. I. E. L. D.

"Hey there." Nat said as she stepped into the room, she closed the door behind her and Lowri was momentarily saddened when she realised that Steve wasn't with her, she began feeling that yearning feeling for him again and the feeling doesn't always disappear when he's in the same room as her.

"Hi." Lowri said as Nat stepped further into the room and she took a seat on the armchair, Lowri put her tablet to sleep and looked up at Nat.

"How're you feeling?" Nat asked, settling back in the arm chair and smiling at Lowri.

Lowri stretched out her underworked legs and grimaced when she felt how sore she actually was.

"Sore. Kinda tired. Annoyed because all I wanna do it walk but I'm not allowed yet." Lowri answered, all she wanted at the moment was to get out of bed and begin working on building up her strength.

"As expected." Nat said with a smile, "Let's do something fun."

"Anything fun requires me to get out of bed and leave the room, which unfortunately, I'm not allowed." Lowri said, she pouted at Nat.

"There's lots of fun stuff you can do in here." Nat said quickly.

"Imagine that I'm out in the field with you guys?" Lowri asked hopefully.

"You should revel in not being stuck on a jet for hours on end with Stark." Nat said with a smile. "Let's talk."

"Okay. Tell me what's happening with your next mission." Lowri said with a knowing smile.

"You're too insistent." Nat laughed, Lowri shrugged her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at Nat. "And you're not my boss anymore, you can't tell me what to do."

"I'm not telling you what to do. I'm asking." Lowri smirked.

Nat rolled her eyes at Lowri and tugged the arm chair closer to the bed, she leant in closer and began divulging in the details for the next mission, about how far along the plans they are and how confident they were that this base would be the last Hydra base they would need to tackle to get the sceptre.

After talking about the Hydra mission, Lowri asked Nat if she had heard about any of her old S. H. I. E. L. D. buddies but Nat shook her head, most had gone AWOL.

"Wanna paint my nails?" Lowri asked, Nat raised her eyebrows at Lowri and Lowri shrugged her shoulders. "You wanted something fun to do."

"True." Nat said, she pursed her lips and sat up in the chair before getting to her feet. "Okay. What does colour does the invalid want?"

"Surprise me." Lowri said with a smile as she looked up at Nat.

"I'll be back as soon as I can hunt down some nail varnish." Nat promised. "I'll ask Pepper first."

Lowri nodded her head as Nat left the room and Lowri slowly pushed herself from the bed. She needed to walk. Lowri moved carefully, she has a tap attached to her stomach and it jostled whenever she moved.

She stopped in front of the full-length Victorian style mirror and looked at herself with slight sorrow. She was so thin, she's never been this thin but she's not as skinny as she had been before her relapse as she had gained considerable weight since being fed through the stomach.

She looked at her current clothing, of course, selected by Tony. She wore a pair of Captain America pyjamas, the shirt was a bright blue with a big red, white and blue shield in the centre and the shorts with little shields dotted all over them. Tony thinks it's hilarious when she wears these.

There was a timid knock on Lowri's door and then the door opened as Lowri was looking at herself in the mirror.

Lowri turned around sharply and placed a hand on the wall beside her to support her before she fell, she looked at the person filling the doorway and was momentarily shocked to see Steve standing there.

"Knock, knock." Steve said gently. Lowri looked at him with wide eyes and she felt her heart rise in her throat but she squashed it back down. She had not expected Steve to show up.

"Hi." Lowri said slowly. She breathed in slowly and then breathed out as she fiddled with the hem of her shorts. She saw Steve's eyes follow her hands and he chuckled.

Lowri felt the heat rise in her cheeks and she stopped fiddling with her shorts. She dropped her hands and stepped towards the bed.

"How are you?" She asked and then she smiled at him, it was a completely natural smile and it was as though Steve knew it. She wasn't forcing the conversation but it had been so long since they had been in a room together alone and it seemed so new to them.

"I'm good." Steve said, he stopped trying to stop his smile. "What about you? How're you feeling today?"

"I'm fine. Still itching to get out of this room though." Lowri said, she glanced around the room and then looked back at him. "I feel like I'm trapped."

"Well, as much as I'd like to break you out, I'm afraid Bruce will have a fit." Steve said with a laugh, Lowri laughed too and looked up at him.

"Do you want to sit down, Steve?" Lowri asked, she nodded her head towards the chair and Steve smiled. He stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him.

When Steve had first closed the door on them, when it had been him, her and Nat, Lowri had a moment where panic gripped her stomach but now, she didn't feel anything other than mutual happiness.

Lowri stepped over to her bed and rounded it, so she was closer to the chair, she perched on the end of the bed and clasped her hands on her lap.

"Have you been to the gym?" Lowri asked, she looked at Steve as he sat down and noticed the tell-tale gym clothes.

"Yeah. It keeps me distracted. And away from Clint and Nat's arguing, God knows what they're arguing over now." Steve laughed.

Her insides weren't squirming or turning over uncomfortably, this was a very good sign.

"You should have seen them when Clint brought Nat in at first. She was swearing all sorts in Russian at him." Lowri said, a smile came onto her face as she remembered her first encounter with Nat.

The arm chair was a lot closer than usual, because Nat had moved it closer and it seemed to Lowri that Steve was in reaching distance. He had his hands on the arms, resting comfortably and Lowri could remember how his hands always seemed so gentle and she ached for his touch.

It would be _so_ easy for her to just reach across and lay her hand on his hand closest to her, it would be such a huge milestone in her recovery process and as she thought about it, she felt the urge grow.

Steve looked at her and their eyes connected, he offered her a smile and she easily returned it. She reached out and as her hand made contact with his, he jumped and he looked down at their hands before looking back up at her with wide eyes. She felt trapped by his look but she didn't take back her hand.

Steve seemed shocked but he didn't pull his hand away from her. She was glad and relieved to feel that she had no urge to yank her hand away. His mouth wobbled, as if he was going to say something but no words seem to come to him.

"Is this okay?" Lowri asked carefully, she didn't break eye contact with him. She's scared too.

"This is okay." Steve said gently, a small smile played on his lips and he moved his free hand to cover her smaller hand. He moved slowly, as if he was waiting for her reactions but she remained unmoving. "This is definitely okay." Steve added as he rested his free hand on top of hers.

Lowri felt a warm feeling spread up from her hand and up her arm but then the door opened again and Lowri quickly retracted her hand from Steve's warm and gentle hands, she felt a blush creep up onto her face and she leant back, tearing her eyes from Steve.

Nat stepped into the room just as Steve leant back in his seat, fighting to hide his smile. Nat stepped closer and looked between the two of them with a sceptical look and Steve grinned up at her. Nat gave him a curious look and then she focused on Lowri.

"This was all I could find, is this one okay?" Nat asked, holding out a small bottle of pale red nail varnish. Lowri nodded her head and glanced at Steve. "Awesome." Nat said, she turned to Steve, ignoring Lowri's look. "And you've gotta go. Ri and I are having girl chat and you're not a girl."

Steve gave up the seat willingly, holding his hands up in defeat. He shot a smile at Lowri before getting up and then he skirted past Nat and headed for the door.

"See you later, Lowri." Steve said as he turned in the doorway.

"Tra, Steve." Lowri said. He smiled at her again before leaving the room and closing the door after him.

Nat took the seat Steve had just vacated and put the bottle of nail varnish on the bedside table.

"Correct me if I saw wrong, but did I just catch you and Captain America holding hands?" Nat teased.

Lowri felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks again.

"You know that's a good thing." Nat said slowly, she took one of Lowri's hands and squeezed, "And you shouldn't feel embarrassed about it, it's progress. Who made the first move?"

"I did." Lowri said meekly. "And I know I shouldn't be embarrassed but I feel ridiculous at the fact that we've known each other since 1942 and I'm barely able to feel comfortable enough to hold his hand."

"You know," Nat sighed, she tugged Lowri's hand closer to her and laid it on the arm of the chair and she grabbed the bottle of nail varnish. "Most couples are just happy that they've decided on somewhere to eat, not who made the first move to hold hands."

"Well, most couples don't have to worry about a brand new-serum designed just for you, with no testing. Or being unable to say each other's names, or having to worry about who loves who, and who said it first." Lowri quipped.

"Who said it first?" Nat asked humorously.

"I did." Lowri answered firmly.

"Then you don't need to feel so worried or embarrassed." Nat said, she kept on painting Lowri's nails and let them dry, they moved on from the topic of Lowri and Steve and moved onto something else.

Lowri was on the feeding tube for just over a month and then she tried a piece of chicken breast and it tasted wonderful. Lowri had missed the sensation of chewing her own food.

The tube was removed once she had proved that she could eat proper food by herself and keep it down. She no longer threw up and her body no longer rejected the food she ate.

Now that Lowri was able to take in solid food and keep it down, Bruce and the other doctors gave her permission to actually leave her room. She was finally able to explore the rest of her apartment that seemed to take up an entire floor but he insisted that if she left her bedroom she had to have someone with her.

More than once she said that she felt like she was being wrapped up in cotton wool.

For the first few days of her exploring, all of her muscles ached and she retired to bed far sooner than she liked but she was physically exhausted.

But, she liked having the new space to walk around in and she was eager to see the rest of the Tower, she tried to go up the elevator but she chose the exact time that Bruce was coming down to see her and he caught her.

He guided her back from the elevator, through the door at the end of the small corridor and onto the couch facing the window wall.

"What?" Lowri asked knowingly. She smiled at him in an attempt to break the stern look on his face.

"You know what, Lowri." Bruce said firmly. He crossed his arms over his chest and took a seat beside her. "You need to stop pushing yourself so much. You need to be careful you don't have another relapse, I'm not sure how much your body can take."

"And?" Lowri asked. "How else am I going to improve if I don't keep pushing myself further and further? Being locked down here doesn't help."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.

"I'm limited down here, Bruce. I need to push myself, otherwise I won't heal and I won't recover." Lowri said.

"That's why we moved you from the recovery room, you needed more space and a change in scenery. Hence, your own floor." Bruce said, "You have the run of the floor."

"But seeing the same walls day in, day out still feels confining." Lowri said slowly. Lowri looked at him, a sad look in her eyes. "I'm not expecting to run a marathon any day soon, but I feel as though I can't gain anything from being down here. If I had free reign of the Tower, I could move about more and get stronger. You can have me supervised if you'd like, though Jarvis is in like every room."

Bruce was apprehensive, and for good reason. No one wanted to see her fall into another relapse. She had just managed to pull through this one and her body was already under a lot of stress, no one knew what would happen to her if she relapsed again.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. What if you collapsed somewhere in the Tower and we didn't know?" Bruce asked.

"That's why you have me supervised and like I said, Jarvis is in every room. He's everywhere. He'd know." Lowri said. "Are you gonna trust me?"

"I've always trusted you, Ri." Bruce said, then he sighed. "You're like a storm. Fine." He rubbed at his forehead with his knuckle. "You're going to be supervised. And you're restricted to the gym, okay? There's loads of space for you to roam and you've got ten minutes a day. After that, you can rest up in the communal space."

"Thank you, Bruce." Lowri said quickly, "No weights, no running, no jogging, nothing intensive. Just walking."

"You know, you're the one that's going to make me grey." Bruce said, he shook his head at her but he smiled.

"Aw, it's alright, Bruce. Grey is better than green, remember?" Lowri smirked.

"I'm leaving before you actually turn me grey." Bruce said with a laugh, he turned for the elevator and Lowri followed him at a slower pace.

"I've got one more question, Bruce." Lowri said, stopping Bruce in his tracks. "What about my… fire? Do you think the serum affected it as much as it's affected my recovery time?"

"I'm not too sure, Ri. We're going to run tests as soon as you're stronger and then we can see what the full extent of the serum." Bruce said, "We'll test you in proper conditions. Tony told me about that simulation room on the helicarrier and he found the plans online. He's building one for you downstairs."

Bruce reached for the door just as the door opened and Nat stood in the doorway with bags looped around her arms and more in her hands. He almost jumped out of his skin as soon as he saw her.

They shared a long look, probably meaningful and then it ended when Bruce coughed awkwardly and broke the look, ending in Nat flushing.

Bruce practically danced around her to escape and closed the door behind him as soon as Nat stepped in. Lowri crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at Nat.

"Do you wanna explain that look?" Lowri asked. Nat looked up at her sharply as she passed by Lowri.

"Absolutely not. Because there is nothing to explain." Nat replied coolly. Lowri was convinced that Nat was lying but she wasn't going to dig just yet. "Anyway, why was Bruce down here?" She dumped all of the bags onto the couch and stood back looking happy with herself.

"He caught me trying to escape." Lowri replied, she moved around the couch and looked down at the bags. "I managed to convince him to allow me to leave this floor. I get to go walking around, but I have to be supervised."

"Well, you need to go at your own pace. And it's good. We'll make it fun. No doubt I'm gonna be roped in to help and you haven't seen the Tower since it's been kitted out from that fight with the Chitauri." Nat said.

"Okay. Are you gonna tell me what's in those bags?" Lowri asked, nodding her head down at the bags and keeping her eyes on Nat.

"I stole Stark's credit card and bought loads of normal stuff for you. You're always complaining about wearing those Captain America pyjamas and how awkward you feel. Especially when Steve's here." Nat said, she picked one of the bags up and tipped the contents out onto the settee to reveal short sleeved T-shirts, mostly grey and white, some black, some red, some green.

"I got loads. The cost probably won't make a dent and I doubt Tony will even notice it." Nat said, "I got you sweatpants, yoga pants, skirts, shorts, you name it. I got it. Oh, and I got you actual pyjamas."

"Brilliant." Lowri breathed, "Actual normal stuff." She glanced down at herself, another one of the Captain America shirt and matching shorts. "Help me get everything in my room, I can finally fill those empty wardrobes."

Nat gathered most of the bags again but Lowri managed to grab one and she gave a defiance look at Nat and led the way into the bedroom.

The contents of all the bags were dumped onto the bed and Lowri grabbed a pair of dark grey yoga pants and a white tank top and she disappeared into the bathroom to change.

She tugged her shirt off and looked at herself in the mirror before pulling on the tank top, her stomach still had the feeding tube scar and she knew that she would be carrying it along with the others for a long time.

She swapped the shorts for the yoga pants and stepped out, Nat had already began putting everything away.

"How do you feel?" Nat asked, she stopped folding whatever she held and looked up at Lowri.

"Normal. I feel normal. Thanks, Nat." Lowri breathed out.

She opened up the chest of drawers opposite her bed and began piling in the yoga pants and shorts.

"Do you want to tell me about that look you and Bruce shared now?" Lowri pressed.

Nat tried to brush her off but Lowri kept on insisting, in the end, Nat got fed up and she left after another five minutes of pestering.

Lowri finished off putting the clothes away by herself and then she headed back out to the living room.

Steve came down to visit her later that day, he was smiling but he looked rather tired and as though he hadn't slept for the last few days.

Lowri was in the kitchen when Steve arrived, still dressed in her new clothes, and she was making herself a cup of tea.

"Hello?" Steve called out. Lowri's hands froze up but then the moment of panic passed and she stepped out of the kitchen. "Hey there." He breathed out as soon as he saw her step around the corner. He closed the door behind him and he smiled, but his smile and his eyes seemed tired.

"Hey. Do you a cup of tea? The kettle is boiling." Lowri asked, she smiled at him and he nodded his head. "Take a seat."

Lowri stepped back into the kitchen and pulled out another cup. She added the tea bag and the sugar and then she poured the hot water before adding the milk.

She grabbed the two cups and stepped out of the kitchen, Steve was sat on the couch and he looked up at her when she stepped out of the kitchen with the two cups in her hands.

"Here you go." Lowri said, passing over his tea and she took a seat on the couch and there was only a seat between them.

"Thanks." Steve said as he took the cup, he took a sip and smiled. "You do make a good cup of tea."

"Years of practise." Lowri said with a smile. She cwtched her legs up beneath her on the couch and looked over at him. "You look a bit tired. Have you slept?"

"Yeah, I've slept. Just not as much as I'd like." Steve answered.

"What's the matter?" Lowri asked, she took a sip of her tea.

"Planning." Steve said, "We're going on our next mission soon and planning it is not going as well as we'd like."

This is the first time that Steve has spoken to her about missions and it make her smile. They'd both come a long way.

Lowri told him about Nat's adventure with Tony's credit card and how she can finally feel normal again. He smiled, but he still looked tired.

It seemed that only Steve seemed comfortable enough to talk about the mission to her, everyone else kept their lips clamped shut.

About a week after Nat's shopping adventure and Steve telling her about the mission, Lowri woke up and she dressed, she had breakfast alone and then she tried her door so that she could go down to the gym to do her walk but the door handle pushed down but the lock didn't budge.

"Jarvis, what's going on? Why can't I open the door?" Lowri asked, stepping back and looking up at the door.

"Mr Stark left behind orders, Miss Jones." Jarvis replied.

Lowri frowned at the door and cussed Tony for locking her in. She felt slightly angered at being locked in and she felt left out but she knew she had a long way to go before she could join them on missions.

Lowri took a rest day, she made herself a cup of tea and selected a book from the bookshelf in the living room and then seated herself on the armchair overlooking the city.

* * *

 **So there we have it, one more chapter left and then this story is finished. I'm stuck for titles for the next story, it's based around the events of Age of Ultron. Any ideas?**

 **Apologies to those who have waited patiently for my updates... you're heroes!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **This is it... the final chapter in my third book! I hope I've done my stories justice...**

 **I'm having a little problem with thinking of a title for the next one, I'm useless with titles! It's based around Age of Ultron.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses)**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Steve came down to visit her later that day, he was smiling but he looked rather tired and as though he hadn't slept for the last few days._

 _Lowri was in the kitchen when Steve arrived, still dressed in her new clothes, and she was making herself a cup of tea._

 _"Hello?" Steve called out. Lowri's hands froze up but then the moment of panic passed and she stepped out of the kitchen. "Hey there." He breathed out as soon as he saw her step around the corner. He closed the door behind him and he smiled, but his smile and his eyes seemed tired._

 _"Hey. Do you a cup of tea? The kettle is boiling." Lowri asked, she smiled at him and he nodded his head. "Take a seat."_

 _Lowri stepped back into the kitchen and pulled out another cup. She added the tea bag and the sugar and then she poured the hot water before adding the milk._

 _She grabbed the two cups and stepped out of the kitchen, Steve was sat on the couch and he looked up at her when she stepped out of the kitchen with the two cups in her hands._

 _"Here you go." Lowri said, passing over his tea and she took a seat on the couch and there was only a seat between them._

 _"Thanks." Steve said as he took the cup, he took a sip and smiled. "You do make a good cup of tea."_

 _"Years of practise." Lowri said with a smile. She cwtched her legs up beneath her on the couch and looked over at him. "You look a bit tired. Have you slept?"_

 _"Yeah, I've slept. Just not as much as I'd like." Steve answered._

 _"What's the matter?" Lowri asked, she took a sip of her tea._

 _"Planning." Steve said, "We're going on our next mission soon and planning it is not going as well as we'd like."_

 _This is the first time that Steve has spoken to her about missions and it make her smile. They'd both come a long way._

 _Lowri told him about Nat's adventure with Tony's credit card and how she can finally feel normal again. He smiled, but he still looked tired._

 _It seemed that only Steve seemed comfortable enough to talk about the mission to her, everyone else kept their lips clamped shut._

 _About a week after Nat's shopping adventure and Steve telling her about the mission, Lowri woke up and she dressed, she had breakfast alone and then she tried her door so that she could go down to the gym to do her walk but the door handle pushed down but the lock didn't budge._

 _"Jarvis, what's going on? Why can't I open the door?" Lowri asked, stepping back and looking up at the door._

 _"Mr Stark left behind orders, Miss Jones." Jarvis replied._

 _Lowri frowned at the door and cussed Tony for locking her in. She felt slightly angered at being locked in and she felt left out but she knew she had a long way to go before she could join them on missions._

 _Lowri took a rest day, she made herself a cup of tea and selected a book from the bookshelf in the living room and then seated herself on the armchair overlooking the city._

* * *

The mission lasted longer than a day, Lowri tested the door before retiring to bed and she tried it again when she woke up. She retreated to her bedroom and took a shower, then she got dressed and made herself some breakfast.

"Are they not back yet, Jarvis?" Lowri asked as she washed her dishes.

"Not yet, Miss Jones, but their jet is currently approaching the Tower and will be landing in approximately twelve minutes." Jarvis replied.

"Thank you, Jarvis." Lowri said, she headed into the bathroom and washed her face then brushed her teeth.

As she was brushing her teeth, she heard someone call out to her from her living room.

"Lowri? Where's our dear invalid?" It was Nat.

Lowri spat out the toothpaste, wiped at her mouth and headed back out to the living room. Nat was standing just by the kitchen, helping herself to a cookie from a packet, still dressed in her field suit and looking rather tired.

"Hey, how was the mission?" Lowri asked as she approached.

"You seem too happy. You've been locked down here for the past day. Aren't you angry at Tony for locking you in?" Nat asked, ignoring Lowri's question.

"Slightly angry. But first, how was the mission?" Lowri asked, displaying the wise ways she owns and works so well.

"It was good. Tiring, but successful. There was left over intel which we're gonna sift through. Hopefully, it'll help." Nat replied. "Are you sure you don't wanna snap at Tony?"

"When the time is right, I will." Lowri replied.

"Okay. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how the mission went. I'm off to bed. I'm knackered." Nat said, she looked down at her watch and groaned. "See ya later."

"Ta-ra, Nat." Lowri said, she waved as Nat turned and left.

Lowri waited for a few minutes before looking up at the ceiling.

"Jarvis, do you keep a record of all the intel that's been gathered on Hydra and all its known associates?" Lowri asked.

"Yes, Miss Jones." Jarvis replied.

"Would you be offended if I printed them out?" Lowri asked. There was a slight pause. "It's only because I'm old-fashioned and I need a hobby."

"I cannot get offended, Miss Jones. Do you want them printed out now?" Jarvis asked.

"No, tomorrow. Is there a storage room going free that I can utilise?" Lowri asked.

"Yes. On the main floor, there is a small storage room currently being used to store Mr Stark's awards that he kept." Jarvis replied.

"Brilliant. I'll empty it out tomorrow and then we can print off the intel." Lowri said. "Oh, and Jarvis. Can you order some cardboard storage boxes and a set of nice pens?"

"Do you prefer any specific brand?" Jarvis asked.

"Surprise me." Lowri smiled.

Lowri headed out of the door and called the elevator to her, she stepped in and headed up to the main living space, the huge room where everyone gathered was near the top of the tower and it gave the best views of the city below them and just above them, were Tony's lab, Bruce's lab, the gear room and the hangar where the jet that Tony built stays.

There was a lack of books in the huge room but Lowri was intent on changing that.

At the moment, she was the only one in the huge room, everyone else was probably exhausted and was resting.

She enjoyed the silence, she could enjoy the peace with an amazing view, a cup of tea and a book.

The boxes and the pens Lowri had asked for were there the next day and while the others were still resting, she began work on emptying the storage room of all the awards Tony received and forgot about. She moved them out to the middle of the room and wrote out a note to Tony, telling him he needed to find another place to store them and she locked herself in the room.

Jarvis printed all the intel off and Lowri began filing away all the intel calmly and slowly.

A week after their return, Tony announced the new simulation room was ready and can be used so he led Bruce and Lowri down to the underground levels.

"I had it built underground just in case something goes wrong, but it's only a precaution." Tony explained, "I don't think you're gonna set the entire building on fire but I really hope you don't."

"I can't make any promises." Lowri said with a small laugh.

The elevator opened and revealed a medium sized room which seemed to be the control room for the simulation room which could be seen through the window of the control room. The simulation room spanned on and on and she was itching to get back into working with her fire.

"Do you wanna jump straight in there?" Tony asked.

Lowri nodded her head quickly. She was dressed in yoga pants and a vest, both treated to be fireproof, and a pair of trainers, she kicked these off and stepped in ahead of Tony and Bruce.

The panels took up three quarters of the room and were just under the window, much like a recording studio, and there was a door just to the right, leading into the simulation room. She stepped up towards the door and placed her handle on the doorknob, but she paused.

"Go on then." Bruce said, Lowri turned her head to look back at Bruce and Tony.

"I'm scared." Lowri said quietly, her hand was still on the doorknob.

"Once you're in that room, you will be completely safe. You know that, you're just scared of using your powers again after so long. But you will be fine. Those bracelets help you control the fire and I'm sure you can use that to your advantage." Bruce said firmly.

Lowri nodded her head, pressed her lips together and opened the door. As she stepped into the room, the lights turned on and Lowri could see exactly how big the simulation room was. It spanned the entire floor.

The door closed behind Lowri and she looked around the huge room.

"Can you hear me?" Bruce's voice echoed around the simulation room eerily and then she realised that he was speaking on a speakerphone.

"Yes. Can you hear me?" Lowri asked, purposely speaking louder.

"Loud and clear. What do you wanna try first?" Bruce asked, Lowri turned and faced the window.

"I'm gonna set my hands on fire and see what happens." Lowri said.

"When you're ready." Bruce said, then his voice was gone and Lowri felt like she was alone. She inhaled deeply and then lifted her right hand in front of her.

This was very similar to how she began training herself in the 1800's when the fire first came about.

She focused all her attention on her hand and within seconds, a brilliant fire of ranging colours sprung up from the palm of her hand and danced along her hand. She breathed out heavily and felt tears prick at her eyes.

For just over five months, she hadn't used her fire willingly and in the moments leading up to now, she was scared that she wouldn't be able to call her fire to her or have any sort of control over it.

There was no pain in her hand from the fire, and she was glad that the serum hadn't affected her fire or any of her abilities. Lowri lifted her other hand and concentrated on summoning the fire to her left hand too. As the fire grew in her left hand, the fire in her right hand became much stronger and it flared up but it settled when Lowri concentrated on both.

"Oh my God." Lowri breathed out.

"Well done. Is there any pain?" Bruce asked, his voice echoing around the room.

"None at all." Lowri's tone was screaming relief.

"Do you want to try anything else?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna set the rest of me alight before I try anything else." Lowri said, she focused on her hands again and then imagined the fire running down her arms, down her shoulders and chest, down her stomach and down the rest of her body to her feet.

She felt herself growing warm as the fire moved down her body and she realised that the serum has affected her skills, just not in the way that she expected. It seemed to make her body more aware of the fire and the heat it gave off.

"I feel warm." Lowri noted as the fire reached the bottom of her toes. She looked up and she felt normal.

"Well, _you're on fire_ , Ri. I would have thought you'd feel warm." Tony's voice came out of the speakers.

"Shut up, Tony." Lowri said, "I'm being serious. I've never felt it like this before."

"Do you want to explain it?" Bruce asked.

"It's like... it's like when you've been outside all day in the first snow of the year and you've lost track of the time so it's very cold. So you hurry inside and build up the fire and as it heats up, you can feel the warmth seep through the damp wool and it's the best thing you've ever felt." Lowri said, she stared down at her hands and imagined that feeling over and over again and then she looked up and let the fire go, it slowly retracted into her skin and then she blinked. "Uh, sorry. I kinda got lost then."

"It's okay. Do you want to call it a day?" Bruce asked.

Lowri shook her whole body out to rid herself of the feeling of nostalgia and then she shook her head.

"No, I wanna try something first." Lowri said, she turned away from the window and focused on the wall going up the left hand-side of the window.

She breathed in deeply and held up her right hand beside her, she summoned the fire and adjusted her fingers so a fireball grew in the palm of her hand. With concentration, she drew her arm back and threw the fireball with as much force as she could.

The fireball went flying across the room and hit the wall.

"Are you happy now?" Tony asked sarcastically.

Lowri rolled her eyes and she turned back to the window.

"Much better." Lowri said, "I just wanted to see if I could still do it."

She headed for the door and she stepped back through as the lights turned off behind her, Bruce and Tony stood just by the door, proud smiles on their faces.

"What?" Lowri asked.

"You were scared of what you were going to do in there but you've managed to light yourself on fire, as normal as that sounds, and form a fireball." Bruce said.

"And hit something with it. You don't need to be scared. You're more powerful than you realise." Tony added.

"You can come down any time you want to work on your own but once a week I want to come down and watch. Run some tests and all that." Bruce said.

Lowri nodded her head, feeling elated from doing something so great.

"You know, I think that fire of yours might actually be stronger." Tony said, "I've been watching you over the years, the fire you just had on was brighter than before, hotter. I might need to make a few adjustments to the room to handle the heat."

"Is that a good thing?" Lowri asked.

"Well, we know another side effect from the Hydra serum." Bruce said, "Well, two now. One, you can actually feel the heat, and two, your fire is now stronger than before, as if the serum unlocked a part of yourself."

"So, it must be a good thing." Lowri said, "I'm looking forward to getting back down there and getting alight again."

"You're definitely recovering." Tony grinned.

"Oh, Tony, one more thing, now that I know that my fire is alright, you should count yourself lucky I don't set you on fire for locking me in my room like a kid when you guys went off on your mission." Lowri said, turning her attention on Tony.

"Wow. Back to your regular, hothead, old self." Tony quipped.

"It's a simple question, can I not be locked in again when you guys go off?" Lowri asked, looking between Tony and Bruce.

"It was one time." Bruce reminded her. "And it was all his idea. I was fine with you walking around the Tower, we've still got one resident doctor on scene just in case but Tony insisted of having Jarvis lock your room."

"Way to dump it all on me." Tony said quickly. "Okay, I promise I won't do it again."

"Good." Lowri said firmly, "Now, I've got things to do. Let's go back up."

She stepped over to the elevator and the doors opened on cue, Bruce and Tony stepped after her.

"How can you have things to do?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, you're not in charge of anything anymore." Tony added.

"Jarvis and I are working on printing and storing all the intel you've got on Hydra. I don't like using storage systems online. I don't trust them. Well, I trust Jarvis, but nothing else." Lowri said.

"Oh, you're the reason why paper and ink costs have gone up." Tony said slowly.

The elevator moved steadily up.

"You haven't even noticed, have you?" Lowri asked, a smile playing on her lips. The elevator stopped as they reached the main levels and Tony stepped out onto his floor and Bruce got out at his, Lowri continued to her floor and then she immediately showered and rested on the bed.

Her old phone rang, which is strange because not that many people have the number. She reached over into the bedside table and pulled it out, she checked the caller ID and answered straight away.

"You don't realise how great it is to hear your voice." Lowri said as soon as she answered the phone.

"Well, hello to you too."

"How are you?" Lowri asked quickly.

"I should be asking you that. You're the one that Hydra manipulated."

"That doesn't matter." Lowri said quickly.

"I haven't got long. I've only got a few minutes before I gotta go. Just wanted to see how you were."

"I missed you too." Lowri said sincerely. "It is good to hear your voice again."

"Likewise. It's been strange not talking to you about things."

"Well, you're a leader in his own right. You don't need me telling you the answer." Lowri said with a smile.

"That's true. Oh, I uh better go. I'm glad to hear that you're alright. I'll pass the message onto the team."

"Oh good. Okay, alright. It was nice to hear from you." Lowri said. She hung up the phone and slid the phone back into the drawer and closed it, a smile on her face.

"Who were you talking to?" Steve's voice came from the doorway and Lowri spun on the bed, her heart beating fast but it wasn't because she was scared of him, it was because he startled her.

"Oh, uh, no one." Lowri said quickly, she relaxed and Steve stepped further into the room. "Take a guess as to where I've been this morning."

"Exploring again? Or locked up in that tiny storage room?" Steve asked, he stepped closer again and Lowri shuffled backwards on the bed so he could sit on the other end.

"Down in the new sim room Tony built." Lowri said, smiling widely at him. "The serum hasn't had that much of an effect on me, skills wise. Well, it's made the fire stronger."

"That's good." Steve said warmly.

"It is. Bruce is happy enough to let me go down there whenever I want." Lowri said, "I was so happy when I formed a fireball."

"You've definitely improved, Lowri." Steve said genuinely. "You should be proud of yourself."

"I am." Lowri breathed out. "You should come down with me next time."

"I'll take you up on that offer." Steve said, stilling smiling at her.

Lowri went down to the sim room every day to test and push herself further. Steve did come down to watch, so did Clint and Nat and Thor.

It was clear that Lowri was clearly on the mend, she was able to walk unaided. She even began training properly down the gym, firstly by building up her cardio and her strength then she pushed herself even more.

Her physical health was no problem, she found it easy to fall into a routine of getting stronger physically. Her mental health was a little slower. Sometimes when she's around Steve, she finds herself caught unaware and she remembers the memories that the serum planted in her head but these only last moments and she goes back to normal.

She doesn't feel scared to be around him. She's no longer awkward around him but she still can't touch him.

At least the conversations were easier and Lowri just knew that she was finally on the road to recovery.

* * *

 **Okay and that's this story done! Thanks to all you guys who stuck by me with my intermittent updating...**

 **On the other hand, I'm interested in uploading a series of chapters based on Lowri's life before being Elizabeth Jones. It won't be out for a few months but it's something I'd like to do after I finish with the sequels!**

 **Thanks all for reading!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


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